


We'll Always Find Our Way Back Home

by JustAnotherAsgardian



Series: We'll Always Find Our Way Back Home [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Hugs, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, M/M, Uncle-Niece Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:55:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherAsgardian/pseuds/JustAnotherAsgardian
Summary: Steve left Hawaii with the aim of 'finding peace' in form of an impromptu mission from the Naval Intelligence... shortly after, Danny left too. Flash forward to two years later, their paths cross and they decide to work things out and finally address the giant elephant in the room; that is, their feelings for each other.If you're looking for a good old happily ever after filled with humor and feelings, well then come on in, we've been expecting you :)
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams & Grace Williams & Charles "Charlie" Williams Edwards, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: We'll Always Find Our Way Back Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902061
Comments: 111
Kudos: 232





	1. Danny

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first attempt at a fanfic so please bear with me. Go easy on the criticism haha but I'd really appreciate any pointers, comments, advice etc  
> Now I love Hawaii Five-0, but understand my knowledge only goes as far as Season 7 although if you ask me, Season 6 was the perfect ending. I do however, have an idea of how Season 10 ended and this story kinda picks up from there with little twists.  
> My timeline might be off but again...bear with me. The idea is to sum up my story in maximum 10 chapters give or take so fingers crossed I'll be posting new chapters every week.  
> P.S no spoilers but stay tuned to the end, a sweet surprise awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny wakes up from his coma and gets a heartbreaking news...

He slowly opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. The sharp rays of light made him groan in pain. He knew he had to open his eyes though, so he gave it another shot. Blinking a couple of times until his eyes adjusted to the light, not quite, but enough for now. Slowly he scanned the room he was in, deliberately avoiding the window which had its blinds open. He knew he was in a hospital room; he could tell from the constant beeping of the monitor next to his bed. The room was quite big and luxurious looking, probably VIP. The walls were a light shade of blue with some paintings hanging by either side of a door he assumed probably lead to the bathroom. On the left side of his bed at the far corner was a rather comfy looking navy-blue couch that had a blanket and a couple of pillows, he assumed someone had been spending nights there. On the floor next to the couch were some toys; fire trucks, police cars, toy soldiers… _Charlie must have left them there. Charlie._ He remembered. All the memories started rushing in, he was kidnapped by Daiyu Mei but somehow, he survived. _But how?_ Oh yes, he had managed to put up a good fight before he got shot. He remembered Steve’s voice telling him everything was going to be okay. _Steve. Where’s Steve?_ Danny knew he desperately needed to find Steve; he didn’t understand why though.

He knew he needed to move his body, sensing that he’d been immobile for a while. He first started by wiggling his toes. At first nothing happened but after a while he felt his toes move. He tried getting up but that was not going to happen anytime soon so he let that go for now. He worked on moving his fingers then his arms and eventually he could turn his head from side to side. As he was busy trying to wake his body up, he heard someone come in, a nurse. She went straight to his monitor and logged all that hospital stuff that Danny had no idea how any of it worked. She had probably done that many times before that she hardly noticed this time was different and that Danny was awake. Danny tried to get her attention but he couldn’t speak. When the short grey-haired nurse noticed this, her eyes sparkled with joy. He could see that through her big goofy glasses.

“Oh, great you’re awake!” she beamed.

Still Danny was unable to talk and he had a lot of questions so he motioned to the jug of water by the tiny table beside his bed. The nurse noticed this, and instead offered him a glass with crushed ice cubes which she said would help and they did because after a while Danny was finally able to speak. She introduced herself as Jenny Kitson and went ahead and asked Danny a couple of questions just to check where his mental state was at.

“What uh…what day is it?” Danny asked.

“It’s Thursday the 20th.”

“Thursday? That can’t be right.”

“It’s November. Honey you’ve been in a coma for 3months. Do you remember what happened?”

_Of course, he did._

“You’re a lucky man you know, never once were you alone at night. I should alert your family I’m sure they’ll be thrilled. Take it easy, alright?” And with that, she left and Danny dozed off.

When he woke up his room was filled with Five-0 members and on his bed, Charlie was playing with his toy soldier. Danny took it all in for a moment before he cleared his throat to let everyone know he was awake. When everyone saw him it’s like they all just paused for a second and... just looked at him. Charlie was the first one to yell “Danno!” and hugged him tightly giving no regard to the pain Danny was in.

“He-hey buddy!” Danny managed to match his enthusiasm.

Next was Gracie, she hugged him and whispered in his ear.

“I Love you Danno”

“I love you too monkey”.

_A simple father daughter moment that always melted Danny’s heart._

One by one the five-0 members hugged him and mumbled all the good things Danny needed to hear. But something was missing.

“Steve?” Danny asked.

Everyone went quiet again, they’d been doing that a lot. For some reason everyone avoided meeting Danny’s eyes; justifiably so because the pain and fear in his eyes was enough to break a grown man's heart. Danny stared at them blankly pleading with his eyes for someone to answer him.

So, he asked again, “Where’s Steve?” But he didn’t want to know the answer, not really.

Finally, Lou broke the silence.

“Buddy, Steve left. He was contacted by the Naval Intelligence about some mission involving some guy Steve and Catherine helped bring down back in the day. We don’t know how long that mission will take though. But he was really happy to hear you got better!” Lou added that last part in an attempt to make Danny feel better but failed because Danny just looked at him like he ripped out his heart and was eating it in front of him. Danny had a lot of questions but the only word that managed to come out of his mouth was “When?”

“This morning, after he got the news that you woke up from your coma. You gotta know man, all that time you were in a coma he never once left your side. Sure, maybe to help with a case or two but he’d always come back. He spent every night here and during the weekend Gracie and Charlie would spend the night as well. He was really happy to know you were awake. Probably the happiest he’s been in 3months.” Lou added.

_But he left. He left without even saying goodbye. He left me behind._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that's not how Steve left in the show but I did say they'd be some twists right? The next chapter will be from Steve's perspective


	2. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny wakes up and Steve makes a tough decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start by saying thank you so much for the warm reception you've given me, you've made this Asgardian very happy
> 
> In this chapter I tried to show what Steve was going through during the 3months that Danny was in coma, this way hopefully we get to understand why he did what he did... or not, I don't know

Looking at Danny’s small, frail body lost under the weight of the hospital sheets, Steve felt a pain in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time. The only time he ever felt such pain was when Victor Hess shot his dad. But looking at Danny now, breathing with the help of a ventilator, thinking any breath could might as well be his last, Steve felt like his heart was slowly but painfully being curved right out of his chest. He could give anything to see Danny open his eyes again. Anything. Words couldn’t tell how much he wanted to trade places with Danny right now, just to save him from the pain he clearly was in.

It was two months in and Danny still hadn’t woken up from his coma and for Steve, every new day felt worse than the previous. He had vowed never to leave Danny’s side no matter what. It was all he could ever do really, everything else was out of his hands. So, unless Five-0 caught a case that absolutely needed him, he just stayed by Danny’s side all day and at night, he’d make himself comfortable in the navy-blue couch at the far corner of the room. At first, he felt like the couch was too far from where Danny was and he deliberated whether or not to squeeze himself into bed with him, I mean Danny was fairly lean and the VIP bed was way bigger than the normal hospital beds anyway. But instead, he opted against it for the fear that he’d one night turn and hurt Danny. He couldn’t take that. So, couch it was. Initially Gracie and Charlie wanted to spend nights at the hospital too, but after negotiating with Rachel, they settled on letting them spend the nights only on the weekends and occasionally after school they’d do their homework in Danny’s room, Gracie taking the couch and Charlie taking the floor beside her. Like Steve, they just wanted to be near Danny. Steve had ordered for an extra single seat cushion chair that he set besides Danny’s bed on the right side of the room, he did this because even though Gracie and Charlie spent weekends with Danny, he still needed to be there and a few uncomfortable nights on the cushion chair was worth it. _Anything for Danno._

One night when Charlie was curled up in bed with Danny, he had insisted on sleeping with Danny, Gracie looked at Steve as if she was about to ask something but decided against it. When Steve saw the worry on her face he had to ask.

“Are you alright? Talk to me.”

“Is Danno gonna be okay?” Gracie asked after a while.

Steve could sense the fear in her voice. He knew how close Gracie and Danno were and he knew how scared she was, seeing him as he was, weak and fragile. He knew he had to comfort her, give her something to hold on to, give her hope.

“Gracie, you remember what I told you about your dad?”

“That he’s brave and I should be brave like him.”

“Yeah, I know right now it may seem like we’re losing it but we gotta be brave for him. He’s Danno, he’ll get through this. He’s the strongest man I know. And he’s got us too alright? We’ll get through this together. We’re family.” Steve’s voice cracked as he said the word family. Just like Gracie, he too was hurting but he knew he had to put on a strong front for them.

For a while they just locked eyes and held the stare; it didn’t feel awkward or forced or like a stare down or whatever… it felt… peaceful. It was kinda like how Steve and Danny used to stare at each other that you'd think they were communicating telepathically. Just the two of them, the rest of the world a mere white noise nobody gave a care about.

“Thanks Uncle Steve. I love you.” Gracie finally said smiling. She had Danno’s cute goofy smile that Steve absolutely adored.

“I love you too Gracie.” He did love her, deeply, like she was his own.

“Goodnight Uncle Steve.” Gracie said as she made herself comfortable in the couch and dozed off. Steve just stared at her and Charlie for a long time, lost in his thoughts.

“Goodnight.”

The morning when Steve received a call from the hospital that Danny was awake and talking, he was filled with joy and relief that put a smile on his face. He couldn’t stop beaming, smiling from ear to ear as he thought _Danny’s gonna be alright._ And then just as quickly as he got happy, his heart fell and the guilt sank in. Guilt laced with shame and fear. Danny almost died because of him and he didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that. He didn’t think he’d ever have the courage to look into Danny’s ocean eyes again. Suddenly, he didn’t feel like he even _deserved_ to be in Danny’s presence or life for that. He didn’t feel _worthy._ He knew he needed to forgive himself first before he could ever ask for Danny’s forgiveness. And so, with a heavy heart, he took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached his CO's number and hit call. As the phone was ringing away, he felt his heart beat faster and faster with every ring. He panicked. He knew he was running. He knew he was running and leaving his o’hana behind because he was scared. He was terrified of losing Danny, who’d survived Daiyu Mei by the skin of his teeth and Steve wasn’t ready to be there the next time when that luck ran out. He was too scared of losing Danny that he thought leaving was the only logical move to save him from that pain. In as much as he was ashamed and angry at himself, he loved Danny too much to let him see him like that. So yes, he chose to run. Like the coward he feared he’d become.

“Commander McGarrett, this is a surprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... I reckon we're up to speed now. The next chapter will be a flash forward to Danny's life after Steve left


	3. Danny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not a typical Monday morning for Danny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt like posting today and so I did... I hope you enjoy

It was two years since Danny left Five-0 and the Island of Hawaii all together. He still remembered when he had to break the news to Lou. He could tell Lou was hurt even though he understood where Danny came from and he was happy that he got to work with him for as long as he did. Still, he was going to be missed. That was the thing about Danny, he always grew on you. Lou had planned a little farewell party for him and that’s when Danny let it slip that he had an offer from Quantico to join the FBI Intelligence task-force in New York and he was going to take it. Two years down the line, Danny hasn’t regretted that decision…yet.

After buttoning up his shirt Danny decided to wear his favorite tie, the one Gracie gave him for Father’s Day. He loved that tie just as much as he loved the thought that went with it. He wore his badge round his neck, put his gun in a holster on his belt and took his stainless-steel thermal coffee mug and walked out the door; after running his hand through his blonde hair. _Of course._ Getting into his black Jeep he put on the music on full blast and drove to HQ. He had to admit though, he did miss getting chauffeured around all day every day.

Danny smiled when he pulled up to the underground parking and saw that Reggie was leaving his car as well. Agent Cole Reggie was the one that eased Danny’s transition to the FBI New York field office. They became fast friends considering how Five-0 had helped him find his wife’s killer back in Hawaii. Reggie had been a great friend to Danny and they even had poker nights at his place on the weekends. He waited for Danny to leave his car before he started talking.

“Another word. TBH. What is that?” He complained, he wasn’t good at pleasantries.

“Yeah, good morning to you too Reggie. You owe me 20bucks.” Danny said as he put his keys in his pocket and walked in the direction of the elevators. “Didn’t I tell you I’d get my parking space back? Wachowski has got nothing on this Jersey guy.” Agent Wachowski had tried stealing Danny’s spot claiming something to do with seniority or whatever but Danny put up a good fight. Begrudgingly Reggie paid Danny what he owed him. He’d come to learn that Danny always won his bets and that he absolutely hated losing.

“So TBH? What is that?” Reggie asked as they stepped into the elevator.

“That’s it! I’m done. I am done being an enabler. You uh…you gotta stop…you gotta stop snooping through your son’s text messages. Trust me I’ve been there with Gracie and it does not end well.”

“I didn’t snoop alright? He’s phone was there and it happened to be on and I saw he’d been texting her again in some weird coded teen language. Which brings me back to my question, what the hell is TBH?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. These guys have a language of their own that I’m done trying to understand.”

“I miss our days you know? When we just wrote what we felt and that was it.”

“You and me both buddy. We’re on Saturday, right?”

“You bet. Bring you’re A game. And sandwiches.”

“Alright, see ya.”

They patted ways and Danny walked over to the Intelligence floor, meeting his partner at the door where they exchanged coffee mugs; Danny handing him his black coffee and taking the coffee with milk that his partner handed him. His partner, Agent Michael Bishop or simply Mike had started dating this lawyer Kate and she’d been making his coffee with milk but he was too scared to tell her he hated milk in his coffee.

“You know eventually she’ll know, right?”

“Yeah, but until then…” Mike sipped his coffee and moaned “This is some good coffee.”

“Special Agents Williams and Bishop, how nice of you to join us.”

Danny and Mike hated Monday morning briefs because their boss insisted it starts at 7am and so they’d always make a point of showing up 15mins late.

“Yeah uh…tra- “

“Traffic. I know. Just like last week and the weeks before. Take your seats let’s begin.” His boss, Senior Special Agent Callen cut him shot motioning them to the empty seats at the front.

“Curt Stoner.” He started, pointing at the big monitor behind him. “A decorated agent gone rogue. He used to be the best sniper the Bureau had up until three years ago when he went rogue and decided to kill for hire, his targets mostly FBI agents, CIA agents, high-profile politicians, you name it. He kills his victims with custom-made bullets with their names engraved on them. So far, he’s managed to stay under the radar but new Intel has it that he’ll be in Chicago three days from now and the target is believed to be Governor Sam Denning. He’s set to host a campaign dinner at the Hilton Hotel. This is the closest we’ve ever gotten to nailing this guy so we need to act fast. Any questions?”

“Yeah, I got a question.” Danny said raising his hand.

“Yes, Agent Williams.”

“Uh…you said we got new Intel? How do we know we can trust it? Who’s your source?”

“Glad you asked. Why don’t I let him speak for himself?” Senior Special Agent Callen said while motioning to someone at the back. “Commander McGarrett, could you step up please?”

Danny froze. He almost choked on his coffee. _Commander McGarrett._ That is a name he hasn’t heard in two years. He felt a weird sensation in his chest that he couldn’t quite place. Was it joy? Fear? Repressed anger trying come out? He wanted to move but his body stayed rigid, stuck to his chair as if telling him that he had no choice but to face his past. He wanted to turn around maybe get a glimpse of this blast from the past but instead Danny just looked at his boss, hoping against hope that somehow… _somehow,_ there’s another guy named Commander McGarrett that has no affiliations to him whatsoever. He hoped he heard the name wrong. But his fears came to realization when he felt a cold breeze brush him and when he looked up, there he was, cargo pants and all. Steve McGarrett. He looked just like Danny had remembered, if not better. Their eyes met and a deafening silence set in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh My God, the boys finally meet... and yes I will address the Camaro later


	4. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny is pissed even though he's trying to hide it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert! In this chapter I didn't really care much about how a professional working environment should be like or whatever, I just wanted to have fun with it...  
> I hope you enjoy it.

If Danny was surprised to see him, he did a pretty good job of hiding it. He didn’t even look fazed instead he acted like it was a typical Monday morning. Steve looked at Danny, who had leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed and staring blankly at the big monitor with Stoner’s profile and pictures of his victim on it. Steve had to admit, he’s old partner looked good, if not better. He noticed he was wearing the tie Gracie had given him, _his favorite tie_ , over a black fitting suit that made him look very professional. Steve did notice though that Danny was slimmer than usual, probably it was just the stress of the job, he figured. Seated on Danny’s side, leaning forward with his right hand scribbling some notes and his left occasionally taking his coffee mug to his mouth, was Agent Michael Bishop; Danny’s new partner. He was everything Steve was, only twice as much. This hunk of a guy; Agent Bishop or simply Mike; stood at 6’4, black hair, green eyes, well-built and again…insanely handsome. It was safe to say he was Steve’s 2.0 and for a moment, Steve was actually glad Danny had Mike for a partner. He seemed like a good backup. But even that thought didn’t soothe the pain in his chest, unfortunately.

“Commander McGarrett? You were saying?” Agent Callen’s voice snapped Steve back to reality and he awkwardly cleared his throat and tried to compose himself again before he started.

“We were tracking a terrorist by the name Adnan Khalid for a little over a year now. The investigation was falling shot when we finally got his location about 4months ago. But before we could zero in on him, he got shot by this guy.” Steve turned and pointed at Stoner’s picture on the monitor. “Curt Stoner. I don’t know how he got wind of our operation, but he eliminated Khalid before we got to question him and we think he was hired by Khalid’s associates. Now, we’ve been tracking Stoner for the past 4months and finally we have him, it’s only a matter of time.”

At this point Agent Mike raised his hand slightly to get Steve’s attention. Steve noticed this and resisted rolling his eyes at him instead he reluctantly nodded his head signaling him to ask his question.

“How sure are you that he’s gonna kill again this early? We’ve been tracking him longer and so far, he’s MO has always been he lays low for 6months or so before his next hit. Are you sure your Intel is solid?” Mike asked. _Damn, he even had a deeper voice that Steve’s_. Steve wasn’t entirely offended by the question in fact, if tables were turned, he was sure he would have had his reservations as well. But still, he couldn’t help but think… _The audacity. Who does he think I am?_

Steve turned back to the monitor and pointed at the ballistics report of the bullet pulled from Khalid’s body and the shell casing found at the crime scene with his name engraved on it, and looking back at Mike, he went on and said.

“This right here is the sniper’s personal calling card okay? The fact that he left this tells me two things. First of all, he’s claiming full responsibility for the kills. Second of all, he’s getting off on it okay? He’s obviously proud of it. So, the question is not when or whether he’s gonna kill again. The question is how many people are on his hit list.”

“Adnan Khalid was his latest victim and I intend to make sure he stays his last. I need your help to nail this guy once and for all before he kills some more.” Steve concluded looking around at the room full of agents who seemed to be moved by his little speech. Steve always had a way of commanding authority even when he wasn’t trying to, it just seemed to come naturally. People always looked up to him to lead. Everyone but Danny seemed to be impressed by his little presentation; understandably so, he thought. He sensed it was because Danny was angry, even though his face gave nothing away.

“Commander McGarrett will take lead on this and I’m offering him my two agents to go with him. Agents Williams and Bishop. If there are no more questions, that will be all.” Agent Callen said.

“Uhm boss? We have the Mahone case. Can’t someone else go instead of us? We’ve worked our asses off for weeks on this case. Uhm…” Mike looked around for anyone he could put the load on and his eyes landed on two rival agents. “Agents Marshall and Greene could do it. Last I checked, all they had was stakeout duty.” Mike complained. It’s not that he didn’t want Stoner caught it’s just that he invested a lot of time and sweat in the Mahone case and he wanted to see it through.

“Very well, Agents Marshall and Greene you got the Mahone case. Agents Williams and Bishop, you’re going to Chicago. That will be all, dismissed.”

Senior Special Agent Callen knew he needed his best agents for the job and right now Danny and Mike were his best even though they didn’t know it. He actually favored them most. And another reason he insisted on them was simply because he wanted to push their buttons just for fun. He loved how easily the duo got flustered.

“But sir!” Mike started.

“You ride at dawn bitches!” Agent Callen said with a smirk on his face. Oh, how he loved Monday morning briefs. Almost as much as he loved being the boss and kicking their asses during poker nights at Reggie’s.

Everyone left the briefing room and Agent Callen instructed Danny and Mike to do a quick introduction with Steve before they went over the case files. Danny posed for a second, sighed, before he finally stood up and tapped Mike's shoulder, forcing him to stand up as well. Stepping up to McGarrett with his hands in his pockets, he nodded to his partner and said, “This is my partner, Special Agent Michael Bishop, everyone calls him Mike.” Then looking at Mike he nodded to Steve and said, “Mike, meet McGarrett.” And with that he turned and walked towards the door, very subtly implying that they follow him after their pleasantries.

_Just McGarrett? Not former partner? Best friend? O’hana? Hell, I could take “Neanderthal animal” right about now but just McGarrett?_ Steve felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. He could actually _taste_ the bitterness in Danny’s voice.

Steve turned to face Mike. Sensing the awkwardness between them, he smiled and offered his hand. “Hi, I’m Steve McGarrett, Danny’s old partner. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Mike Bishop. Pleasure’s mine.” Mike posed for a while still holding Steve’s hand and with a curious smile he said, “That’s funny, you don’t look like a Neanderthal animal one bit.”

Steve laughed at that, pulling his hand back. He liked what Mike was doing, breaking the ice with a humorous line, making sure everyone felt comfortable and at ease. It said a lot about his character.

“You ready to go through the case files?” Mike asked.

“Sure thing man, after you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe.


	5. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve breaks the silence...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by X-Men: Days of Future Past. I really liked that plane dialogue between Charles and Erik and I wanted to draw from that. It felt like the best way for Steve and Danny to finally start 'talking'.  
> I hope you enjoy.

At the break of dawn, Steve, Danny and Mike were already being driven to a private airstrip close to the field office. The Bureau had thoughtfully organized for a private jet to take them to Chicago. That way, they wouldn't have to waste time at the airport. The plane was fairly spacious for just three people, fitted with leather interior, enclosed lavatory and a refreshment bar that was unnecessary since they were on duty and couldn’t drink even if they wanted to. Danny took the single seat facing away from the door that lead to the cockpit. Mike took the farthest seat at the back, pushed back the fold-out table and put his feet up on the empty seat in front of him. He happened to prefer solitude when traveling, said it helped him think. Steve was the last to enter and he had to quickly decide where to seat before they were wheels up. He could either take the empty seat beside Danny, but then he thought that would be pushing it, especially since Danny made it pretty clear with his posture that he didn’t need the company. He could take the back seat beside Mike, but then it would look like he’s avoiding Danny and he didn’t want anyone to think that. So instead, he took the middle three-seater directly opposite the refreshment bar and sat angling his body so that he was facing towards Danny, not away from him. Before they knew it, they were in the air.

Steve watched as Danny served himself some water and stared out the window, lost in his thoughts. He was definitely avoiding meeting Steve’s eyes and he was done hiding that fact. So, when Steve couldn’t take the awkward silence anymore, he knew he had to break the quiet. God knows he couldn’t survive two hours of silence. Clearing his throat, he stared at Danny for a moment before he finally said, “You look good.”

Danny didn’t even acknowledge him so he added, “Do you wanna talk?”

He finally got a response when Danny turned and looked up at him, clearly pissed. “Talk about what Steve? The weather?”

“I don’t know man, maybe. It’s a good a start as any don’t you think?”

“Ha.” Was all Danny could say before turning his head back to the window.

“I know you’re hurt Danny.”

“What do you know about it?”

_He’s right. What did_ I _know about it? I was the one who left in the first place._ Steve thought. He couldn’t possibly imagine how Danny felt. But this was hard on him too and he needed to let Danny know that. Leaving him wasn’t a walk in the park for him either. It was by far the toughest decision he ever made.

“I was hurt too.” He finally said. Allowing himself to show some hint of real human emotions for a start.

“Dry your eyes Steven. It doesn’t justify what you did.” At this point Danny was breathing hard, his chest heaving under his suit.

“You have no idea how hard that decision was for me to make.” Steve interjected but Danny just snorted at his response and went back to looking out his window. Steve could tell Danny had a lot to say. In as much as Danny had a tone, he also had a face. Not aneurysm face like Steve’s, but a face all the same. So, Steve knew he had to push Danny to open up.

“Let it out Danny.” He started. “I know you’re angry at me. Just let it all out man. Yell at me! Scream at me! Hell, even punch me if you want. Just give me a reaction!”

“You want a fight Steve? I will give you a fight!” And with that Danny gets up and storms towards Steve who also gets up. Mike notices this and starts to stop him but Steve is quick to dismiss him with his hand. “Let him come.” And as if the day couldn’t get any worse, suddenly they hit a turbulence and Danny had to steady himself on the bar counter as Steve was forced back down into his seat.

“You abandoned me! You went away and you abandoned me! Max. Kono. Chin. You all went away and you left me all alone on that stupid pineapple infested hellhole! I mean for a guy who never wanted to be there in the first place _somehow_ , I ended up being the only one left! I was scared Steve and alone and I needed you and you abandoned me. You were the last person I thought could never leave me but you did anyway.”

They hit another turbulence and Danny had to awkwardly support himself on the counter again. “You were my main dude and you went away and left me behind.”

That was his cue. Steve knew he had to say something. But he couldn’t come up with the words that could even come close to show what he was feeling instead all he could mumble out was “I Know.”

The disgust and disbelief that enveloped Danny’s face made Steve immediately regret his response. Danny looked at him like he’d spit on his last remaining slice of pizza or something. The anger in his eyes was beyond compare.

“I know?” Danny asked. It was mostly rhetorical. “I know?” He repeated, raising his eyebrows. “He knows.” Danny said, to no one in particular. Nodding repeatedly while curving his mouth in a mocking ‘I understand’ gesture, he turned to leave as another turbulence hit them. Instead of going back to his seat, he decided to go straight to the cockpit and sat at the co-pilots seat. He needed the space and the pilot new better than to ask him to leave.

Mike looked up at Steve and simply said. “So, you were always an asshole.”

_I deserve that._ Steve thought as he sat there hating himself with every passing minute and wishing he hadn’t spoken in the first place. Suddenly the silence didn't seem so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe.


	6. Chicago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive in Chicago and meet Steve's weird CI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the last Chapter, I wanted this one to be fun  
> Hope you enjoy.

When they landed, they had a Bureau issued SUV waiting for them, with a rather chubby young Special Agent standing beside it ready to welcome them. Everything about him screamed ‘rookie’ and Danny couldn’t help but think, _his boss probably wanted to get him out of the office so that he could have a taste of the outside world_. After they exchanged pleasantries, they got into the vehicle with Danny calling shotgun forcing Steve and Mike to take the backseats. Driving through the Chicago traffic, Danny maintained a small talk with the young rookie. He occasionally busted his balls just for fun and laughed at him when he implied that everything was supposed to be done by the books no matter the situation. Clearly, he’d never met Steve McGarrett. The word rules and due process were foreign to the SEAL. It’s a wonder he was even able to serve as long as he did. _Honorably so_ , _I should add_ .

“So, I’m thinking, I should take you to the field office so that you can settle in. We cleared out a workspace for you guys. And by ‘we’ I mean ‘I’. Then my supervisor says I should drive you to wherever you wanna go.” The rookie said as he looked at his rear-view mirror to meet Steve’s eyes. He obviously got the brief and knew who was in charge.

“Actually, we’ll pass on that, I’m meeting my CI at this address.” Steve said, leaning forward and handing him his phone with the address on it, making the rookie punch it in his GPS.

“Whoa! Are you sure about this address? If I’m right, which I am, this place will be packed. There’s a Comic Convention going on there. Can’t he meet you someplace else?” he suggested slightly turning his head to look at Steve before turning back to the road.

“Well he said and I quote, _‘If I could, I would, but I can’t, so I shan’t’_ … so I’m guessing that’s a no.” Steve said and Danny couldn’t help but smile a little bit. Underneath the tough guy exterior Danny always knew Steve was a bit of a softy. With that thought in mind, Danny decided to call Reggie, he wanted to check in on Charlie. He had asked Reggie to pick him up and take care of him ‘til he got back. After two rings Reggie picked up.

“Hey uh…you up? Tell me you’re up and that my son has had his breakfast.”

“Of course, I’m up. And yeah, Charlie’s up and fed, okay? Do you wanna say hi?”

“Do I wanna say hi? Yes, I wanna say hi. You have to ask? What’s the matter with you?” Danny asked, feigning insult. “Put my son on the phone, will you?”

“Hey Danno!” Came Charlie’s tiny voice through his phone's speaker forcing Danny to press it closer so he could imagine Charlie was right there next to him.

“He-hey buddy. You okay? You’re not uh…giving Reggie a hard time, are you? You little animal.” Danny teased him.

“Nope. If he said I was, he’s wrong.” Mini-Danno said in a matter-of-factly.

“Of course, he’s wrong. What was I thinking?” Danny laughed. “Hey uh... I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?” But what Danny really wanted to say was, _I’m out on a mission with your Uncle Steve! Could you believe that?_ But it was too soon to disclose that kind of information and Danny knew some conversations are better off done in person, so instead he said.

“Be good, alright? Danno loves you.”

“I love you too.” Was Charlie’s response before Danny hang up and noticed that the rookie was staring at him curiously.

“Just shut up and drive.” Danny said, shoving the phone back in his pocket.

After a couple more minutes in traffic, they finally got to the convention. The rookie was right, the place was jam-packed. Danny did a quick scan around. Several Gamoras were busy taking selfies next to a cardboard cutout of Black Panther. Endgame Thor and Iron Man seemed to be having a heated discussion and Danny was pretty sure he saw Superman flirting with Black Widow… _he couldn’t hit that if he was the last man on Earth,_ Danny thought.

“So does this guy have a name?” Mike asked, eyes searching.

“Hmmm yes.” Steve paused. “And no.” he added.

Both Danny and Mike looked at him, confused, with their faces clearly asking, ‘Well?’

“He said when we got here, we should ask around for a… Jar Jar Binks.” Steve said, clearly embarrassed.

Now Danny had it. He positioned himself in front of Steve with his hands ready to fly around in the air like they usually did when he talked. Danny always talked with his hands.

“Jar Jar Binks?” Danny started, putting his palms together and leaning slightly forward. “The Gungan from Star Wars? Who the hell is this idiot Steve? Better yet, how did you even meet the guy, huh?” But before Steve could answer, Danny held up his palm up to stop him and added, “You know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t wanna know. We should uh… I think we should split up, cover more ground. If this guy is stupid enough to call himself Jar Jar Binks, then he’s stupid enough to dress up like him.”

Ever so swiftly, Steve divided the team into two. Him with Mike, Danny with the rookie. He took the first floor while Danny covered the ground floor. As they were going up the escalator Mike noticed this guy dressed as Scooby going down the escalator next to them and jokingly greeted him saying, “What’s up dawg?”

“That was funny right?” He said, turning and lightly smacking Steve’s chest with the back of his hand. He was really proud of his little pun.

“Yeah that was funny.” Steve agreed smiling. He had to admit, he was liking Mike more and more. He was a funny guy with a great personality. He reminded him of Danny and his witty remarks whenever they were out on a case together.

On the ground floor, Danny noticed an odd-looking Jar Jar Binks wannabe walking with his head glued to his phone… _he’s probably tweeting about his stupid outfit,_ Danny thought. “Hey, up ahead.” he tagged the rookie nodding his head in the direction of the guy he assumed was Steve’s weird CI. “Jar Jar Binks! FBI!” Danny shouted at him to get his attention. When the CI saw them coming toward him all suited up, he started to make a run for it and almost immediately Danny drew his gun.

“Hey hey hey. Stop! FBI!... Shit.” Danny cursed as he lowered his weapon. It was a crowded place, lots of casualties probably wise not to start firing without a clear shot of the guy. He watched as Jar Jar Binks awkwardly ran toward the exit; _believe it or not he was running in character_ ; and after a quick scan Danny figured he could probably get a drop on him if he went around the ridiculously huge fountain that stood at the center between him and the exit. So, with that in mind he said, “You go after him, I’ll go around and cut him off.”

Before the CI even knew what hit him, Danny was tackling him to the ground after hitting him with a spear that left him winded. Struggling to break free, Danny conjured all the strength he could and kept him pinned to the ground on his back. The CI knew he was defeated so he stopped fighting it and instead looked at the man hoovering over him and in a typical Jar Jar Binks voice he asked.

“Husa are Yousa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe... and have a great rest of your week.  
> That might just be my new outro haha...


	7. Jar Jar Binks?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get a lead on Stoner's location

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit early today I know, but what the hell right? So when I was writing this CI character, I was channeling a bit of Sang Min and just a dash of Jerry Ortega but mostly Sang Min or maybe both equally, I don't know  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy...

**_Stop! FBI!_ **

Steve immediately turned around when he heard Danny’s voice yell and in the midst of the commotion, he could see Danny and the rookie running after some guy in a Jar Jar Binks costume. Almost in sync, Steve and Mike turned and started running back down against the escalator that was taking them up.

“Jesus! I thought you said this guy was your CI? Why is he running?” Mike complained as they pushed through the angry crowd.

“I said he was my CI.” Steve started, finally reaching the ground floor and stepping off of the escalator. “I didn’t say he liked cops.”

Running and pushing through the crowd, Steve and Mike finally got to him just in time to see Danny effortlessly tackle the guy to the ground and pinning him there with his weight on him. Steve was impressed. Now _there_ was the Danny he knew and admired. What Danny couldn’t give for in height, he certainly did in strength. He was well-built and could take on anyone twice his size if he wanted to; _I mean, he punched Steve the first time they met_. It was one of the qualities of Danny’s that proved him to be a valuable asset to the Five-0 task force and Steve was very much proud of that. So proud, he was, that when they approached him, Steve couldn’t contain how impressed he was any longer.

“That was badass buddy! Mazel tov! Fighting with that suit and tie? _Very_ impressive. What are you? John Wick?” Steve cheered, giving him the sexy McGarrett smile that was always reserved for Danno and no one else.

Danny looked up at him and Steve could tell he was moved by what he said even though he tried to hide the smile on his face. Instead Danny stubbornly argued, “You’d be John Wick. I’d just be the guy telling the stupid pencil story because unlike you guys…” Danny pointed his finger back and forth between Steve and Mike, eyeing them, judging them, “I’m not that reckless! What’s the matter with you?” he scolded them for even _thinking_ that he could be John Wick.

But even that didn’t deter Steve. He was on a role. Still smiling, he said, “Book him Danno.”

“I hate you.” _He didn’t._

Danny turned the CI around and cuffed his hands behind his back before pulling him up to his feet. In all of Danny’s time in the law enforcement, it still baffled him when suspects ran from them. They never had a chance of escaping and they knew it but they ran anyway. It was insane.

Once he was convinced that the CI wasn’t going to make a run for it again, he stopped holding him and stepped back. At that point, the CI noticed Steve and with a stupid smile he said, “Yo McGarrett! What is this? Come on, I thought we were _ohana_.”

“You gave us no choice. Why were you running?”

“Hey man, I don’t know about you but when I see cops yelling my name and coming at me, I run, alright? What do you think that’s gonna do to my street cred if people see me talking to the feds? And you were supposed to come alone!”

“Alright, give me what you got for me and we’ll be on our way, can you do that?” Steve asked, getting impatient already.

When Steve was tracking Stoner, he had come across this guy, who came up under the known associates of Curt Stoner. After a background check on him, Steve had concluded that the guy was just a harmless hacker who didn’t really pose much of a threat, so instead of arresting the guy and questioning him, he opted for a more gentler approach. He cut a deal with him. He was to tell him exactly where Stoner was going to be during Governor Denning’s campaign dinner, in exchange for a one time only get-out-of-jail-free-card. 

So, when Steve asked him for Stoner’s whereabouts, his CI pondered on that for a while before he finally nodded and said, “Okay, so after our little talk a couple of months back,” he started, looking at Steve. “The guy calls me, right? He says he needs to get into Chicago under the radar and since I’m all about helping people out I said ‘no biggie, I got you’. About a week ago, he calls and says he needs me to hack into Anderson Ltd., it’s a commercial building. Says he needs security clearance and that I should disable the alarms as well. So I’m thinking…coz I’m a genius…” At this point he looks at the men for some sort of approval but gets nothing so he continues, “Anyway, I’m thinking, that building provides a pretty good vantage point of the Hilton Hotel and I’m thinking it’s pretty convenient for our little sniper friend, right?”

Steve exchanges a look with the men at his side and they all agree without actually speaking that they had been given a good lead, something to work with. With the skyscrapers in Chicago, it would have been hard for them to pinpoint the exact building where a talented sniper like Stoner would nest. 

“So, I’ve given you the tip about the assassination attempt, the when and where, I take it we’re good now? Maybe get these off?” He turns so Steve could see his cuffed hands.

Steve gives Danny the okay and he removes the cuffs. Looking at him Danny asks, “I don’t get it. You could have just called and given us the information, why did it have to be face-to-face huh? At this ridiculous place I should add.”

“I don’t trust phones.”

“Of course, you don’t.”

“I have to ask, why Jar Jar Binks?” The rookie, who had been quite through most of it, finally asked. _Someone had to._

“Better question is ‘why _not_ Jar Jar Binks?’. He’s an underrated character and you see, I’m all about standing up for the little guy.” The CI reasoned cockily, feeling rather proud of himself. The men just looked at him blankly and almost simultaneously, they gave a slight nod and walked away.

“We should get the blueprints of the Anderson building and strategize on the best way to apprehend Stoner before he gets to the Governor.” Steve said as they got back into the SUV.

“You’ll get everything you need at the field office, Commander.” The rookie assured him as he pulled out into traffic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe.


	8. Stoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yap! Let’s go get this son of a bitch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't my usual time but I just wanted to get this over with so that on Monday we can start a fresh with our boys finally having that long overdue talk.  
> Also I don't know a damn thing about guns, I just googled and picked the first ones I saw hehe  
> I hope you enjoy.

“Danny, Mike and I are going to go up to the roof. I need the rest of you guys to cover all the exits, inside and out. And I need a team to sweep the floors. Is everyone clear on that?” Steve asked as they readied themselves to breach the Anderson commercial building. The FBI backup agents nodded in agreement and got to work as instructed.

“You ready?” Steve asked, putting on his bullet proof vest and watched as Danny and Mike checked their guns.

“Yap! Let’s go get this son of a bitch!” Mike said while Danny merely nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Everyone in position. Follow my lead.” Steve directed as he entered the building. Following closely behind him with their guns drawn and on full alert was Danny then Mike. They were headed to the elevator when they noticed the sign that said it was out of service.

“Of course, something is wrong with the elevator.” Danny complained.

“Stairs.”

The commercial building was a twelve-storey building but these men were built for it and in less than three minutes they were opening the door that lead to the roof. Steve put a finger on his lips implying they should be as quiet as possible and then he motioned for them to follow him. Positioned at the west side of the roof directly in sight of the Hilton Hotel entrance was Curt Stoner and with him was a Blaser R93 Tactical Sniper Rifle that he had placed on the edge of the roof. Slowly but surely, the three men positioned themselves behind Stoner, keeping a safe distance.

“Curt Stoner! Hands up where we can see them and step away from the weapon! Do it Stoner! Slowly.” Steve commanded him.

“No can’t do.” Was the response they got from him. At this point Curt Stoner hadn’t even turned to look at them. He didn’t even appear to be bothered by their presence.

 _The balls in this guy,_ Danny thought.

“Stoner, it’s over. We got you surrounded. You got nowhere to run. So, drop the weapon, alright? Give yourself up. This doesn’t have to get ugly but it will if you let it. And trust me that scenario won’t end well for you.” Danny tried to reason with him but even he knew a guy like Stoner wasn’t just going to give up that easy. Certainly not without a fight. And Danny guessed he’d probably get himself shot than get arrested and that’s why it surprised him when Stoner agreed to surrender himself.

“Okay, I’m gonna turn around. Don’t shoot.” Stoner pleaded with them as he slowly raised his hands and turned to face them. “I have a Beretta 9mm on me alright? I’m just gonna reach for it and throw it at you, okay? Don’t shoot.” He added.

“Slowly.” Steve said, not trusting him one bit. The three men still had their weapons drawn and ready to fire if need be. Slowly, Stoner drew his gun and still raising his free hand to show he means no harm, he looked as if he was going to drop it on the ground but instead, he held on to it for a while. Reading the room, so to speak, he deliberated whether or not he had a chance. “Drop it Stoner!” Steve commanded him, catching on to what he was trying to do. But the dead look in Stoner’s blue eyes said he was a man who was ready to die.

“Don’t do it!” Mike shouted at him; he too knew that look all too well. But looking at them with a sly smile, Stoner knew he was done for. “Don’t do it! Don’t do it!”

Stoner drew his gun and pulled the trigger. He didn’t even bother to aim. He didn’t have that luxury. What he heard though, was the multiple bangs to his chest as he was pushed backwards by the force of the bullets hitting his body in all directions. The men watched as Stoner fell over the edge of the building all the way down to the ground where the other agents were.

“Shit!” Mike said, lowering his gun.

“Yeah.” Steve agreed. He wasn’t happy that Stoner had taken the easy way out but at least the governor wasn’t dead. "You alright, Danny?"

“Yeah, yeah." He lowered his gun and with his free hand he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "Alright, let’s get out of this city. I need to see my son.” Danny said, patting Steve’s arm and walking back to the way they came from. As they were going down the flight of stairs a thought crossed Danny’s mind and he knew he had to test his theory, so he stopped at the eleventh-floor and walked up to the elevator.

“What are you doing Danny?” Steve asked. Danny just motioned for them to follow him and they obediently did so.

“I wanna try something.” Danny said as he hit the down button and they watched as the doors opened up. “And Lo and behold. It actually works. I’m telling you, that son of a bitch.” He complained as they stepped into the little elevator before Danny hit the ground floor button.

With Stoner out of the picture and after a heartfelt gratitude from Governor Denning, they had no reason to stay in Chicago and they were wheels up as soon as they filed their incidence report. The plane ride back to New York was same as before, quiet, only this time Steve knew better than to try and change it. Instead he watched as Danny fell asleep in the three-seater that he’d called dibs on. He looked peaceful in his sleep. It reminded him of back when Danny was crashing at his place and Steve had to wait up until he was sure Danny was asleep before he went down stairs to turn the TV off and occasionally, he’d adjust Danny’s blanket. For some reason he had always enjoyed watching Danny sleep. Maybe it was because he wasn’t bickering or complaining or judging Steve’s driving. He was just… quiet, after a long day of being _really_ loud.

Before they knew it, they had landed in New York. Their pilot stepped out of his cockpit and announced, “Gentlemen, you have reached your destination.”

“Alright!” Mike exclaimed from the back seat as he got up and woke up the sleeping Danno. “Yo, get up. We’re here.”

“I’ll give you a thousand dollars if you make me breakfast and rub my head.” Danny said yawning and turning to make himself more comfortable, barely even attempting to get up. _Man, did he love his sleep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last line was from the bloopers and I just had to include it!  
> Fun fact  
> Initially when I wrote this Chapter, at the end, Stoner had ended up shooting Danny and then I wrote this whole hospital dialogue chapter where the two men had a deep talk about their feelings and stuff... But then I thought, 'Wait a minute, neither of them have to be in a life or death situation for them to actually have a real conversation, right?' I mean hasn't poor Danny been shot enough already? So, yeah, I deleted the entire chapter! Just thought you should know.


	9. Steve And Danny 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Should we talk?” Steve asked, finally breaking the silence.
> 
> “Okay. Why did you run off with Catherine when I needed you the most?” Danny went straight for the jugular.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long post alert! This is a bit longer than my usual quick reads but it was expected.  
> I'm more nervous than usual about this one aaah   
> I hope you enjoy
> 
> McdannoPrincess23, I heard you babe, this is for you...

It was 3am on Thursday when they got back to the New York field office and immediately Mike said his goodbyes and rode off on his motorbike to his apartment where Kate was. He couldn’t wait to see her; he had missed her _._ Leaving the two men behind, Danny looked at Steve and asked, “Need a lift?”

“Uhm... yeah. Yeah, that’d be great.”

“Yeah? You need food too?”

“Uhm… if you’re offering, why the hell not?”

“Alright, I guess I’m making us dinner then. Follow me.” Danny said as he walked to his Jeep and only stopped when he heard Steve whistling behind him. Turning he watched Steve’s eyes sparkle at the sight of his shiny black Jeep. Hands in his pockets, Danny stared at him as Steve examined his car, studying it, taking in every detail about the vehicle. After a long pause, he looked at Danny, raising his eyebrows and pointing at the Jeep, “New car? What happened to the Camaro?”

“Well, I figured it was time for a little change you know? Besides, I didn’t really have much luck with the Camaros.”

“A little change? Dude this is… this is a _machine!_ ” Steve beamed like a kid in a candy store.

“I know right?” And then without a second thought, Danny pulled out his car keys from his pockets and threw them at Steve who caught them effortlessly. _Those goddamn Navy reflexes,_ _Danny thought_. Surprised, yet pleased at this little show of kindness, Steve asked, “You serious? You really want me to drive?”

“Don’t. Uh-uh… Don’t act like you don’t want to.” _Stunning Detective work Danny. Of course, I want to,_ _Steve thought_. “And I’m tired of standing. Can we go now? Please?”

***

As they were pulling out of the parking lot and into the traffic, Danny punched in his home address on the car’s GPS so that he wouldn’t have to play the role of the navigator. He watched as Steve gradually got comfortable enough and got into his default ‘ _reckless_ ’ driving state when he overtook three cars all at once, without even indicating. 

“Easy… Easy… Easy. This isn’t a life or death situation, alright? Go easy on that heavy foot, will ya?” Danny complained, adjusting his seatbelt.

Steve just smiled. He missed being judged from the co-driver’s seat when driving as Danny usually did. In fact, he thought Danny _lived_ for such moments. And if the last two years have taught Steve anything, it’s that you never truly know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. And so, Steve cherished that little moment.

“So, New York huh? The FBI? I thought you hated those three-lettered agencies?” Steve asked, turning to face Danny.

“Hey! Eyes on the road!” Danny warned him and only continued when he was sure Steve was paying attention to the road. “I just figured it was time for me to make that jump in my life. Everyone else seemed to be doing it. Plus, Hawaii just didn’t feel like uhm… like home anymore without you guys, without… you.”

Steve wanted to say something but before he could, Machine Gun Kelly was blasting through the car radio and he got the not-so-subtle hint and kept his mouth shut. The conversation was over.

**3:25am**

“Come on in.” Danny said stepping aside and motioning for Steve to step in.

Danny’s loft apartment had a cool industrial feel to it. It had an open space floor plan with high ceiling that was decorated in a warm look with lots of wood tones and a beautiful blue velvet sofa that faced a 65’ Samsung TV that was mounted on the wall. On the left side of the room was a rather grand French window that provided natural light during the day and at night, a scenic view of the New York skyscrapers. Two single wooden seats were placed opposite each other, with a glass coffee table in the middle separating the seats from the sofa. Plenty of artwork was hanging around to break up the white of the walls. Next to the entrance there was a metal staircase that led to the upstairs where there were three bedrooms and even a walk-in closet in the master bedroom. The upstairs had glass walls that faced the living room, such that if you were downstairs, you’d still have a glimpse of the rooms but mostly, the main reason was to get that natural light from the main source that was the French window. On the right was a little dining area with a round table and four chairs and next to it was a neat kitchen area. Danny had made a little home for himself and the kids in that apartment and you could tell.

“Wow.” Steve said in awe. “This is a nice place you got here Danny.”

“Thank you. Uhm… make yourself at home. There’s a bathroom here.” Danny pointed at a little door that appeared hidden at the far left behind the living room. “You can freshen up; I’ll use the one upstairs.”

“Thanks man.”

**3:30am**

After a quick Navy shower, Steve sat in the living room holding a picture he’d found on the stool beside the sofa of Danny, Charlie and Gracie standing in front of UCLA. They all looked so happy and Steve couldn’t help but smile. He wished he was there to see Gracie off. It was not every day you got to have such a moment and he felt awful for missing out on it.

**3:37am**

Danny came down the stairs in a white T-shirt and black sweats, bare foot, and headed for the kitchen. Steve watched as Danny prepared their meals, occasionally turning to check on Steve, asking if he was comfortable or if he needed anything. _Such a caring host._

**4:15am**

The meal was ready and Danny set the table. On each plate, he put a generous serving of spaghetti and meatballs and filled their wine glasses half-way with red wine and set the wine bottle on the table in case anyone needed more. _He knew he did._ They sat and ate in silence and occasionally they’d break the silence to ask for salt, pepper, another serving of the food or a refill of their wine glass. After dinner Danny cleaned the dishes, taking his time. Once he was done, he joined Steve on the sofa and they both sat there, staring at the blank TV. Neither of them wanting to initiate the conversation, even though they knew they had to eventually. Perhaps they just needed to postpone it a little longer. It was after all, a rather _intimate_ dinner. But then again, you can only postpone the inevitable for so long.

**4:30am**

“Should we talk?” Steve asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Okay. Why did you run off with Catherine when I needed you the most?” Danny went straight for the jugular.

“I didn’t… Danny, I didn’t mean to leave you. But it was something I felt I had to do.” Steve said. He deliberately avoided addressing the Catherine issue. _One step at a time._

“What? You couldn’t wait ‘til I got better?” Danny asked. He was starting to let his frustrations show.

“Danny, you have to understand man. That was the hardest decision I ever made, but I didn’t have a choice. With everything that happened with my mum, the cipher, Daiyu Mei… you… I just… I couldn’t take it anymore. I just didn’t want to be in Hawaii anymore. It hurt too much. So yeah, when I got assigned a mission from the Naval Intelligence, I took it.”

“Oh, face it Steven! You didn’t need a mission. You needed an excuse to get away and you took it.”

“I know.” Danny sighed, put his feet up on the coffee table and crossed his arms on his chest.

“You should have stayed. You should have had my back. I know _I_ did.”

“I know.” This time Danny glared at him.

“See, I don’t think you do.” Danny shifted so that he could face him. “Let me give you a little recap, ok? Who had your back when everyone thought you’d killed the governor? Me! Who screwed up a chance to get back with Rachel for you? Me! Who went out of his way to North Korea to save your ass? Me! Afghanistan? When you were being tortured by the Taliban? Who gave you half a liver when you needed one Steve? And I didn’t even _care_ about the risks. Huh? Me! The radiation poisoning? Me, Steven! Me! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg Steve. There’s a laundry list of things that I’ve done for you, no questions asked. Because that’s what family does, alright? And yet you couldn’t even do the ONE thing, which was to _stay_ and be a friend.”

“Danny…”

“I’M NOT DONE TALKING!”

“Sorry, keep going. Let it all out.”

“Why are you talking?”

“Sorry.”

“Why is your mouth still moving?”

Steve raised his hands up as a show of surrender.

“I had your back, a thousand and one percent, even when everyone doubted you. When everyone left, I stayed. I stayed _for you_! I had your back since day one Steve. _Day one_! But I guess that wasn’t enough for you, was it?”

“It was. It was more than enough. It was more than I deserved. More… than anyone has ever done for me. You’ve always been so kind to me and I didn’t appreciate you as much as I should’ve. I see that Danny. I see that now.”

“You left anyway.”

“I thought it was what I had to do. What I… _needed_ to do. But it wasn’t.”

“Yeah? Yeah well sometimes I wake up in the morning and think ‘I can do crystal meth’ but then I think ‘hmmm… better not’. It’s called better judgement Steve! What? They didn’t teach you that in the army?!”

In as much as Steve didn’t like it when Danny deliberately confused his SEAL training to the Army, he knew better than to correct an angry Danno. Usually he would chip in and say something in the lines of ‘It’s the Navy Danny. Nay-Vee!’ but that was neither the night nor the time for it so he let it slide.

“You were running Steve. You were scared and instead of facing your fears, you ran. You ran away like the coward that you are. Ok, so you didn’t ‘ _save_ ’ me once. Big deal Steven! In case you haven’t noticed already, I can take care of myself, alright? I can take care of myself you son of a bitch! I’m not some fucking damsel in distress, alright? I can’t…” Danny got up now and put his hands to better use. “I don’t know what that stupid army school taught you but not everyone needs rescuing McGarrett! I needed a friend, not a hero, alright? Ergo, you were supposed to _stay_ and _be_ that friend! Not run off on some stupid mission I don’t give a shit about. _With Catherine?_ ” Danny didn’t even try to mask his disgust when he spat out her name. “Dammit, you were supposed to stay. You were supposed to stay with me because that’s what family does, alright? They stay with you through the good and the bad, alright? They don’t run off just because shit happens. That happens in the animal kingdom, not here! Here, we have some civility, ok? It’s what separates us from jackals and HYENAS!” At this point Danny was fuming.

“Why are you yelling?”

“BECAUSE I’M ANGRY!” Danny yelled at the top of his lungs, veins popping from his neck to his forehead you’d think they were about to explode at any second. It was only then, that Steve noticed Danny had been crying. He was so delicate and vulnerable at that moment. The only time Steve ever saw Danny this fragile and broken was when they went to Colombia to pay back the money Matty owed Marco Reyes and Matt’s body was brought to them in an old rusted drum. Those were the same emotions Danny was expressing at the moment. He was deeply hurt. And Steve was the cause of it. _Shit._

With the sudden quiet that enveloped the room, the two men finally heard the persistent knock on the door.

“I’ll get it.” Danny said, wiping his eyes before he looked at Steve who go up as well. “Sit your ass down! We’re not done yet!”

Danny opened the door and was met by the annoyed face of Mr. Heckles, his next-door neighbor, in his night robe.

“I can hear you through ear plugs, two pillows and three sleeping pills. Please don’t let me find out if I can still hear you with a bullet in my head, Williams.”

Danny felt bad for him. He had no idea when or how things escalated but the last thing he wanted was to be a bad neighbor.

“I am… incredibly sorry, Mr. Heckles. We’ll keep it down. I’m really sorry.” He apologized, but his neighbor just brushed it off, walked back to his apartment and made a point of banging his door behind him.

Danny closed his door, walked back and collapsed on the sofa next to Steve. Sighing, he stared at the ceiling for a while before closing his eyes.

“Time out?” Steve suggested. He too was exhausted.

“Time out.” Danny agreed..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all need a time out, wouldn't you agree?  
> Same time next week. Stay safe... and have a great rest of your week.


	10. Steve and Danny 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I guess I didn’t think I could face you after what you went through because… because of me.” Steve felt the lump in his throat get bigger and bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather dark chapter but I feel like it plays an important role in mending the bond between Steve and Danny. There's talks of suicide so if it's a delicate subject or a trigger I suggest you just skip this chapter all together, I'll write a short summary of it on the next chapter update. Also if you're depressed and feel like it's you against the world, please try and talk to someone. You'd be surprised who's ready and willing to actually 'listen'.  
> This Chapter was inspired by House Sn8 episode finale.  
> I hope you enjoy.

_**Danny closed his door, walked back and collapsed on the sofa next to Steve. Sighing, he stared at the ceiling for a while before closing his eyes.** _

_**“Time out?” Steve suggested. He too was exhausted.** _

_**“Time out.” Danny agreed.** _

_******* _

**5am**

The two men sat in silence with their feet up on the table, each sipping their coffee that Danny had offered to make. It was almost dawn and they still hadn’t had _the talk_. They barely even scratched the surface yet and time was of the essence because in a few hours Charlie would be home. So, Danny drank the last of his coffee and cleared his throat to get Steve’s attention as he set his cup on the table.

“You know I envied you.” He started. He was calmer now; Steve could sense it in his voice. “Sometimes I wished I was a machine like you. Able to just… shut down my feelings if they got too much to handle but I couldn’t. Even if I tried.”

“Do you really think you did right by me, Steve?” Danny continued, still maintaining his calm demeanor. He was done yelling. “Everyone was watching me like a hawk. Like I… like I was this ticking time bomb that could explode at any second. You know, I am okay with people treating me like I’m some quick tempered grumpy old man…but actually watching me as if I was on the verge of distraction? That… that was condescending. I felt _violated_. I deserved better. I’m a lot of things but I wasn’t going to snap just because I was alone. I am a father. I have kids that need me. I may not look it but underneath my loud personality, I’m a rational guy. I wasn’t just going to lash out. I wasn’t happy with the entire situation but I was stable. I was handling it the only way I knew how.”

“By moving all the way to New York?” _Shit._

“Yeah. Hawaii wasn’t my home. I wasn’t happy there anymore. And I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not in my DNA to be happy.”

“You don’t mean that.” Steve was sad that Danny could even think that. More than anything he deserved to be happy.

“I do actually. There’s something seriously wrong with the way I’m built. I ca- I can’t uh… I can’t just enjoy happiness like regular people you know? And I accept that.”

“You don’t think you're being too hard on yourself?”

“No, I don’t. You know when I was a kid, my parents if they were late coming home, I used to imagine that they died in a car wreck just because they were fifteen minutes late. I used to talk to God and beg Him like ‘Please, take my dad not my mum’ because I couldn’t live without my mum. And every time something good happens in my life I just… I think of when it’s gonna end. That’s all I could think about.”

“That’s not normal.”

“I know it’s not normal. I mean I… I don’t know man, only sane happiness I ever felt in my life so far is Gracie and Charlie. But even now Gracie is off to college next thing you know she’s married to some schmuck. And Charlie… it’s just a matter of time before he turns 18 and is out the door being a hippie of whatever, I don’t know.”

“You gotta change man. You can’t live like that.”

“I’d like very much to change it’s not so simple you know. I tried once. I said ‘At least now I have Steve. He’s not going to leave me coz of the whole _no man gets left behind_ ’ law. For years I uhm… I actually believed it. Then you left. And I was alone. And I said to myself ‘Danny, you shouldn’t have let your guard down’. And then I thought, hurt people hurt people. You were hurt, most of your life, and next thing you know, I ended up getting hurt too.”

“Danny, the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. If I had known…” Steve felt a lump in his throat and had to stop talking.

“You know I thought I did everything right by you Steve, but you left anyway and I couldn’t help but think… all I ever did was love you and all you ever did was… break my heart. When you left you were taking the cowardly way out and what’s worse, you were too cowardly to even _admit_ that you were taking the cowardly way out.” Danny turned to look at him.

“Seeing you covered in blood, your life slowly slipping away in my arms, man that shit got to me alright?” Suddenly he saw the image of Danny dangling, all bloody and wounded and Steve watched as his hands started shaking. “I just… I couldn’t take it Danny. I was in pain.”

“I was in pain too. But running from pain won’t make your life better. But caring will. Staying and enduring pain to do some good for someone you care about. Isn’t that what life is?”

“I guess I didn’t think I could face you after what you went through because… because of me.” Steve felt the lump in his throat get bigger and bigger.

“So, you took the easy way out?” Danny asked.

“You think that was easy?!” Now Steve couldn’t hold back the tears anymore so he let go, surrendered to the emotions. “Danny, my whole life was pain! I woke up every day in pain! I stayed up all night in pain! You know how many times I wanted to just give up? How many times I thought about ending it?” Steve had to stop and wipe the tears off his face but his efforts proved pointless as new tears just kept coming out. Danny saw this and laid a hand on his shoulder; he didn’t know that Steve was in that much pain and that he felt he had to hide it from him. _For years, I should add._

“You know it’s really hard to ignore the pain when a huge part of it is… is _someone._ How can you forget about someone when they’re the last thing you think of when you go to bed and the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up?” he continued. “Every day I thought, ending the pain was better than the pain itself. I thought that maybe I deserved to die. Not as a punishment but as a reward. I thought I suffered enough; I’d given enough. And I thought I deserved to just… give up. I felt like I was suffocating in the middle of the street and no one saw me. So, I thought, why not just end it? Why not just give myself that gift? And I was ready, Danny. I was ready to go. Until one day I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me and that’s when I knew I was at the wrong place and that I needed to come back home. I knew I had to come back to you even though I knew I hurt you and you were angry at me and probably wouldn’t forgive me. But I just…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Danny cut him short. “Of course, I’d forgive you. _Always_. I was angry obviously, but I guess I wasn’t really angry that you left. Well I was… but I guess what really uhm… what really got to me was that I… I thought… I thought I was worth at least a goodbye, you know? You left without telling me goodbye and that was uh… a really bitter pill to swallow.”

“Maybe I could’ve handled it better.” Steve said turning and laying a hand on Danny’s thigh, rubbing, comforting.

Danny felt fresh tears roll down his cheeks and he embraced it. He knew it was about time they both just… let go. Soaked in tears, the two men sat in silence. The last two years had not been kind to either one of them.

**5:45am**

“Do you think that uh… that maybe we needed that time apart? To really uhm… to really bring things into perspective?” Danny asked after a while.

“I think it’s made us see what we could’ve been. What we could’ve had. What we… should’ve had. This…” Steve motioned to everything around them. “It just made us appreciate each other more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week... Stay safe and have a great rest of your week.


	11. Steve and Danny 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Have you ever had a feeling… and just known somewhere in your bones, that someone was going to play a major part in your life?” Steve asked, looking down at their hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't get to read the last chapter, it was basically Steve trying his level best to explain to Danny why he had to leave, what he was going through emotionally while he was away and his realization that he wanted to be with Danny all along. He apologized to Danny who, bless his heart, forgave him.
> 
> I reckon we're up to speed now. This is... 'the one where they say it'.

**_5:45am_ **

**_“Do you think that uh… that maybe we needed that time apart? To really uhm… to really bring things into perspective?” Danny asked after a while._ **

**_“I think it’s made us see what we could’ve been. What we could’ve had. What we… should’ve had. This…” Steve motioned to everything around them. “It just made us appreciate each other more.”_ **

**_***_ **

**6:03am**

They sat still, watching the break of dawn through the large window from the comfort of the sofa. The sun’s rays hit their faces and reflected light through the glass table to the gray carpet underneath it. It was the dawn of a new day that also marked their renewed friendship. Danny turned to face Steve. His eyes sparkled in the light of the sun. They stared at each other for a long time, talking with their eyes, just like how they used to do back then.

“You know there’s uh… there’s still an elephant in the room.” Danny said, still looking at Steve.

Steve sighed and looked down at his hands. “Yeah.”

“I think that uh…. I think we should address it. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Rubbing his chin, Steve says, “I guess we’ve all been tiptoeing around the subject for a long time, we might as well address it now.”

“You wanna go first?” Danny suggested.

“What? No. Why? Why would I wanna go first Danny? Huh? Why don’t you go first?” _Oh, please go first._

“Oh, gee Steve, I don’t know, maybe it’s 'cause I never hid my feelings unlike _someone_.” Danny stares accusingly at Steve. “Everyone knew how I felt. You included. _I think_. But you…” He poked Steve. “You were just a coward.”

“I was a coward?”

“Yes, you were a coward.”

“Ok fine, alright? Say I was a coward about my feelings, but don’t act like you were any better Danny.” Now it was Steve’s turn to stare accusingly at Danny; who acted surprised, pressed a palm to his chest and mouthed ‘Me?’

“Yeah you. I was open about it, so to speak. I mean I was giving you hints man. They were subtle, but they were there. You're the great Detective, how did you not pick on any of them? Always making up excuses to spend time with you? Chauffeuring you around? Heck, I even gave you a pet name.”

“Oh, really?” Danny was genuinely surprised. “Which one? Please, enlighten me Steven.”

“Uhm… Booboo?”

“Booboo?” Danny asked, making a face at him.

“Yeah Booboo! Now that was a classic and you know it!” Steve argued pointing a finger at Danny for emphasis. “And you dismissed it like it was nothing.”

They stared at each other for a while and suddenly Danny started laughing. He was in stitches and holding his sides fearing for his ribs. Steve couldn’t help but smile and before they knew it, they were both convulsed with laughter. Danny was literally shaking in his seat and had to wipe a tear from his eyes because he was laughing so hard.

“Okay, could you stop now? Please?” Steve asked, smiling. Danny nodded and made a motion of zipping his mouth shut but he couldn’t help but giggle still.

**6:15am**

“You know, you spend your whole life searching for the truth. But sometimes the truth sucks.” Steve said. It was more of an epiphany really, mostly to himself though. Danny shifted his body to look at him and wondered what lead to the sudden change of mood. The smile on Steve’s face was gone now and instead he looked… sad. Steve turned and faced Danny, fresh tears threatening to break free and continued, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me Danny. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for Charlie and Gracie.”

“We’re way past that babe, don’t sweat it.”

“No. I should have been there.” Steve insisted.

Danny sighed and placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. He actually understood where Steve was coming from. He didn’t understand though, why Steve hid his pain all those years from him, his ohana... himself. _How could you possibly save someone from themselves, if they didn’t want it? Worse, how could you save them if you didn’t even see that they needed saving to begin with?_ Danny might have been blind to his hurt all those years ago, but he vowed to never take anything for granted again.

“Steve, I’m sorry I wasn’t _really there_ for you as well, alright? I’m sorry that uh… that I didn’t… I didn’t see that you were hurting. But we’re okay now. We’re okay.” Danny assured him, giving his shoulder a little squeeze.

Steve reluctantly nodded and placed a hand on Danny’s thigh and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“Okay!” Danny pulled back his hand from Steve’s shoulder and clapped his palms together before continuing, “Steve, I swear if you say you’re sorry _one more time_ , I will lose it, alright? I’ll be pissed.”

“But you _are_ pissed. I can see that.” Steve was determined to make sure there weren’t any residual anger left that could break what they spent hours mending.

“Yes, I’m pissed, alright? I’m pissed because you left me and it’s not fair and now, you’re back for who knows how long. Listen, I’m not asking for much, ok? I just need a friend. I need to know that you’re there. I need… I need you to tell me that our friendship is worthwhile. And I… I need you to tell me that you love me.”

Another silence lingered before Steve finally sighed, took Danny’s hand and wrapped both of his hands around it and said, “Danny, you’re my happy place. I hope you get to see that someday.” Then he looked straight into Danny’s eyes. He knew that wasn’t enough and he needed to say what they both already knew. And so, still holding Danny’s hand, he confessed.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

And there it was. Finally, out in the open. Three words the men had tried to tell each other for the last decade. Hidden behind constant bickering, teasing and sarcastic comments. That morning, they let it out. A secret they both had buried deep somewhere in their hearts. A burden that had been draining them for so long. Finally, they can breathe.

**6:30am**

“When did you know?” Danny asked after a while. For a moment Steve didn’t know what he meant by that question but then it dawned on him.

“Uhm… Ok, I’m gonna be honest with you. I…”

“I’m sorry, were you planning on lying to me?”

“What? No! Danny, the last thing I want to do is to lie to you especially now that we’ve mended things. I…”

“At ease, soldier. I was messing with you. Relax, alright?” _Phew._

“It’s sailor, Danny. Need I remind you; I was in the Navy. Nay-Vee, alright?” Danny just laughed at him. He forgot how nice it felt when Steve absolutely lost it when he pretended to confuse his military training.

“Just answer my question, _sailor_.”

“Uhm I’ll be honest I felt… _something_ when I first lay my eyes on you but my emotions were running wild at that time anyway. Uhm… I guess it was that day when we were tracking Wo Fat with Jenna and then you got infected with sarin. I thought I was gonna lose you and that’s when I knew… That’s when I knew I wanted you in my life…”

“Really?”

“Yeah man, I was this close to telling you that night at the hospital but then…”

“Rachel happened.” _Of course._

“Yeah. When did you know?”

“Ok… Oh shit.” He ran a hand through his face. “Uhm… ok. Just don’t quote me on this, alright?

“I won’t.”

“And don’t laugh either, alright?”

“Danny! Come on, tell me!”

“Alright, alright, don’t bite my head off, geez.” Danny looked nervously at his TV, the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but Steve’s eyes and continued in a low voice, more of a whisper really. “Don’t get me wrong, first time I saw you, you were this insanely handsome dude who, even with a gun pointed at me, _somehow_ made me feel all so weird in places I never thought…”

“Awww… Danny had a crush on me.” Steve teased him and poked at his ribs forcing Danny to smack his hand away. Danny then tried and failed miserably to hide the blush on his face.

“Shut up!” Danny pushed him away from him but didn’t protest when Steve came right back and took his hands in his again. “Anyway…” He shyly played with their now interlaced fingers. “Anyway, you were this hot dude that had an attitude problem and that was a massive pain in the ass, so I let it go. Whatever the hell that was, I let it go. _Emotions were running wild at that time anyway_.” They both laughed at that last part.

“But then again, I had a hunch, like uh… a gut feeling, that day in Afghanistan when you were being tortured by the Taliban, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.” _I've loved you more and more since that day._

“Yeah? When I single-handedly rallied the SEALs to rescue you?”

“How could I ever forget that Danny? You saved my life. And I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you manage to pull that off by the way, huh?”

“It's classified.” The smirk on his face just said how much he’d been waiting to say that.

“I deserve that.” Steve laughed. Slowly but surely, they were getting back to their normal selves, which was good progress.

“But I wasn’t absolutely convinced, maybe I was just in denial, until that uhm… that day in Colombia. I was at my worst, my breaking point. And I did something… that haunts me… still… to this day. But you saw me. You saw through the rage and the venom. You saw right through me and you were there when most people would’ve run for the hills but you didn’t. You stayed. You didn’t judge me or hate me and I guess uh… I didn’t know how much I needed you in my life until that moment.” He brought up their hands to his lips and lightly kissed Steve’s knuckles.

“Have you ever had a feeling… and just known somewhere in your bones, that someone was going to play a major part in your life?” Steve asked, looking down at their hands.

Danny looked at him. Noting every gray hair on Steve’s head, every wrinkle around his eyes, his forehead. He memorized every detail about the man next to him. Taking in the handsome prince that was Steven McGarrett. How lucky he was to have someone like him in his life.

“Yeah.” He smiled.

Steve shifted in his seat so that he was facing Danny and they locked eyes, each lost in their little bubble of love and they let the invisible force work its magic and pull them closer to each other. They were just inches from each other now and Danny slightly tilted his head to the side and then he looked up at Steve; his eyes inviting him. Steve saw that and slowly leaned in, moving his gaze from Danny’s lips to his eyes and back. Danny moved forward just a tiny bit. Their lips, inching closer and closer, barely touched when they heard a loud continuous knock on the door followed by Charlie’s tiny voice shouting, “DANNO!!!”. _Reggie must have dropped him off early on Charlie’s insistence, Danny assumed._ The two men smiled and laughed. They were kind of embarrassed but not quite.

“Next time babe.” Danny whispered as he got up and went to let his son in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dammit Charlie! Aah 
> 
> Fun fact, initially when I was writing this chapter, at the end after they'd said their 'I love you's and whatnot, Danny had suggested that they reenact their first encounter together and they did that count of three thing where in this case, every count they'd take a step closer to each other and at the count of three they were face to face and then BOOM they kissed ... Or maybe Charlie did his thing again I don't know hehe...but in the end it was way too long. I'm saving it though, for a McDanno series that I'm working on(drafts drafts drafts ideas drafts...).
> 
> Anywaaaay, with that being said, same time next week? Stay safe.


	12. Charlie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve finally meets Charlie who is surprisingly welcoming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say thank you to all of you who are still reading this far, taking your time to comment and leaving kudos... It's just the right amount of fuel I need to continue. Thank you :)

_**“DANNO!!!”.** _

_**Reggie must have dropped him off early on Charlie’s insistence, Danny assumed. The two men smiled and laughed. They were kind of embarrassed but not quite.** _

_**“Next time babe.” Danny whispered as he got up and went to let his son in.** _

_******* _

“Danno!” Charlie beamed as he wrapped his little hands around his dad’s waist. Danny rubbed his head and pulled him closer into the embrace. He didn’t know how much he’d missed his son until that moment.

“Hey buddy, I really missed you, you know?” Danny asked, pulling back. He placed a hand on the kid’s chin and lightly pinched it.

“UNCLE STEVE! UNCLE STEVE!” Charlie broke free from Danny’s hold, ran across the room and jumped up to hug Steve who lifted him up effortlessly. Charlie put his hands around Steve’s neck and wrapped his legs around the SEAL. Steve rubbed Charlie’s back and kissed the top of his head several times while making kissing noises that made Charlie laugh. Steve could not be happier and he didn’t want to let go of Charlie even for a second. Danny watched the two best men in his life with a proud smile on his face and had to brush off a tear that tried to sneak out of his eyes. He loved them both dearly even though he sometimes felt he hadn’t shown it nearly enough.

“Hey!” Reggie said breathlessly when he finally got to Danny’s door with Charlie’s bag in hand. “I’m telling ya, that kid has got some speed in him.”

“Yeah, I should have warned you.” Danny laughed and motioned for him to get in just in time to see Steve finally put Charlie down but still cuddled his head to his stomach as the kid wrapped his hands tightly around Steve’s waist.

“Steve McGarrett! Long time no see bruh.” Reggie said heading up to Steve and pulling him into a one arm hug and lightly patting his back. “Man, when I heard you were in town, I didn’t believe it. It’s been way too long.”

“It’s good to see you Reggie. How are you? How’s the kid?” Steve asked, matching his enthusiasm. He did miss Reggie even though they’d only known each other for a short while. Some people are just not easy to forget.

“My boy is doing great. I’ll tell ya, he’s really glad I’m behind the desk and not out there in the field like my boy Danny here.” Reggie elbowed Danny and laughed. “Anyway, I gotta bounce but we should catch up over some beers and pizzas say tomorrow?”

“I would love that very much. Afterall, you guys speak very highly of your pizzas.” Steve joked.

“Hell’s yeah! Best there ever is man.”

“We’ll be there Reggie.” Danny added as he escorted him out the door. “Hey buddy, why don’t you take your bag upstairs while I make breakfast, huh?” Danny asked holding Charlie’s bag up to him.

“But I wanna stay with Uncle Steve.” Charlie pleaded holding tightly onto Steve and giving Danny his irresistible puppy eyes. “Yeah Danno, he wants to stay with Uncle Steve.” Steve added pulling the same puppy eyes. _Danny had to admit, they looked so cute._

“Fine… animals.” Danny murmured the last part to himself as he headed for the stairs.

***

They all sat on the dining table eating the breakfast Danny had made; blueberry pancakes with some bacon, orange juice and coffee for the gents. This time they didn’t eat in silence instead Charlie did a great job of updating Steve on everything he’d been doing since they moved to New York. He was talking non-stop and Danny had to occasionally remind him to eat his food.

“I knew you’d come back. I told Danno but he didn’t believe me.” Charlie said amidst mouthfuls of pancakes that he’d soaked in syrup.

“Of course, I’d come back Charlie. And I’m sorry I left in the first place, alright? You think you can forgive me?” Steve asked the boy. Words couldn’t say how much he felt guilty and ashamed of himself just by looking at the kid next to him. He’d grown so much since the last time he saw him and Steve wished he had been a part of it. A part of the Williams little family of three. God knows he already missed so much already.

“Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout? Of course, I forgive you Uncle Steve. I’m just happy you’re back.” Charlie said smiling, flashing his tiny teeth at him. That’s the thing about kids, they didn’t hold on to hate instead they forgave and forgot quite easily. Steve was glad that Charlie still had his innocence and vowed to protect it for as long as he could.

“Thank you, buddy.” Steve said as he smiled, reached over and messed with the boy’s hair making the kid laugh and spill the orange juice he was drinking.

“Okay, behave yourselves you animals.” Danny complained as he wiped Charlie’s face.

***

They spent the rest of the day indoors, talking and making jokes and doing all the domestic stuff a family does. On Saturday they had a little gathering with Reggie, his son, Mike, Kate and Callen, at Danny’s favorite Italian restaurant that he insisted offered the best pizza in town and he wasn’t wrong. _Danny sure did know his pizzas_. At the end of the day, Sunday night, they made themselves comfortable on the couch and watched a movie with Charlie positioned in between the two men, acting as the popcorn holder and later falling asleep on Steve’s lap halfway through the movie.

“Alright buddy, let’s get you to bed.” Danny said waking up the sleeping kid.

“I’ll do it.” Steve said, getting up and carrying Charlie upstairs to his bed. After tucking him in and kissing him goodnight, Steve joined Danny back on the sofa and they sat in comfortable silence for a while before Steve finally gathered up the nerves to ask Danny what was on his mind since the day he came back. He had to know.

“What happened to Rachel? I couldn’t help but notice she isn’t here. Did she just let you uproot Charlie from Hawaii without a fight?”

“Well Rachel is uh… how do I put this delicately? She’s uh… she’s off looking for _peace_. Could you believe that?” Danny said laughing. “Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous that she decided to uh… roam the earth like that guy from kung fu searching for answers or whatever, I don’t know. But she says she has to _cleanse_ her karma or something. Apparently, she realized she hadn’t been making the right choices in her life with me, Stan, keeping Charlie from me… so yeah, she’s off to find herself somewhere in Nepal last I heard and I have full custody now so, I’m guessing that’s a win.”

“Wow.”

“Wow exactly. And speaking of the women in our lives, what happened to Catherine?”

“You know Catherine, always off to the next mission and the next one after that. To be honest we haven’t been in touch in a little over a year now. She left a few months into the Adnan Khalid mission and I haven’t heard from her since. It’s probably for the best.”

Danny was actually relieved to hear that. He had assumed Steve was with Catherine the whole time since he left but this new revelation actually made him smile a little bit. In a way, fate had managed to somehow cut off the women who had tied them down and now they were free to finally be themselves around each other.

***

“Say what’s on your mind.” Steve said after a while when he noticed Danny was once again lost in his thoughts.

“Right now, I’m thinking, I’m very happy and I’d like very much to keep it that way. Say what’s on your mind.”

“Come back to Hawaii with me.”

“Say that again?”

“I want you to come back with me. You and Charlie and Gracie. Let’s make a home for ourselves like we should’ve done ages ago. I promise to take care of you and love you and build our little ohana back in Hawaii where we belong. Where we all belong. Danny, come back with me.”

“Done.”

“Uhm…” Steve was surprised by the quick response from Danny. He was prepared to give a whole speech trying to convince Danny to go back with him. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to make Danny uproot his life once again and move back to Hawaii but he had to at least try. And if Danny had said no, then he would go to plan B which was to move to New York. Either way, he was never going to leave Danny’s side. Certainly not again.

“What? You expected some resistance? Huh?”

“To be honest, yeah.”

“Well babe, I’m offended. I’ll tell you this, ever since we moved here all Charlie’s been talking about is Hawaii, surfing, shave ice and even those stupid pineapples that little island is infested with. ‘When are we going back to Hawaii?’ he says. Every time we watch SpongeBob or Lilo and Stich or simply anything with an ocean on it he gets sentimental. He cried after watching Moana you know? Wait no, you wouldn’t know, you haven’t even watched it I’m sure. But when you do, I’m pretty sure you’d love Moana of Motunui. She’s just as reckless as you. Going out to the big ocean with nothing but a chicken and the heart of Te Fiti. Ridiculous.”

“Hey hey hey. Spoiler alert!”

“Sorry.” Danny laughed. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I’ve tried to make this place a home for us, but uh… I guess Hawaii has been the only home he’s ever known all his life and this move probably wasn’t the best for him as much as it was for me, you know? But I do however have to add, even though I’ve forgiven you, I’m still angry and it will come out every once in a while, ok? But don’t let that intimidate you because whatever happens, know that I’m happy and I love you and I’ll never leave you, alright? I’ll fly across the sea for you, you know that, right?” _Leave it to Danny to say a simple ‘yes’ in so many words._

“Yeah.” Steve smiled. _What did I do to deserve you?_

“Ok then, problem solved. Now lemme ask you this. Did you just use the Stoner case as an excuse to see me? Because if I’m right, Chicago also has an FBI field office, you know? You didn’t have to come all the way to New York. I mean, it defeats logic, even you should’ve known that. So, did you go through all that trouble for little old me babe?” Danny asked, teasingly.

“It’s classified.” Steve smirked at him.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” Steve affirmed with his newly found confidence.

“No, I don’t.” Danny agreed, smiling at him. “What I _do_ know is that I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow and I gotta get me some sleep, alright?” Danny said getting up. He had tried to make the couch comfortable for Steve because even though they had confessed their feelings they didn’t want to rush anything, especially with Charlie in the house. They hadn’t even kissed yet and it was driving them insane. Danny resisted the urge to kiss Steve goodnight instead he lightly brushed Steve’s hair and patted his shoulder before he left.

“Goodnight babe.”

“Goodnight Danno.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe :)


	13. The Bureau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny says his goodbyes to The Bureau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the finish line and I can't wait! I'm so excited that we've made it this far :)  
> Final steps begin here... I hope you enjoy.

Danny’s alarm went off at exactly 5:45am and he had to snooze it because he wasn’t ready to face the day just yet. He wasn’t a fan of delivering bad news to anyone especially at the start of the week but he knew he had to. At 6am he finally gathered up the energy he needed to leave his bed. He walked over to his bedroom door and looked down at the ‘sleeping’ SEAL on his couch and he had to admit, Monday mornings had never been better. He took a quick shower, dressed and then went downstairs to prepare breakfast as quiet as he could possibly manage, he never liked being loud so early in the morning. He then laid the table, woke up Charlie and helped him get ready for school. Charlie didn’t want to go to school and so Danny had no choice but to use his dad voice on him. It was the last week of school and it would be pointless to call in sick.

They had a fun filled breakfast and Steve insisted on dropping off both Danny and Charlie and picking them up after. Danny couldn’t help but think that Steve just needed an excuse to drive his new car. Charlie’s school was the first stop on their way before they got to the Bureau. Danny had specifically chosen that school because it was only a ten-minute drive from the field office. The proximity helped ease his anxiety.

“You didn’t have to do this, you know?” Danny said looking at Steve who had by some miracle driven like a normal human being for once. _That was until they dropped off Charlie then his default driving kicked in._

“I know.” Steve turned and smiled at him before taking his eyes back on the road. “But I wanted to. Plus, it’s not like I had anything to do.”

“No, that’s not what I meant, but uh… thank you very much. I appreciate that. What I meant was, you didn’t have to assert your dominance over my car. I mean, I’m ok with the unfortunate reality that I’m never _ever_ driving my own car again because _Steve McGarrett_ is a CONTROL FREAK!”

_It’s always interesting how Danny could start talking calmly and then gradually raise his voice. I missed it, Steve thought._

“You know what buddy? Some people actually _pay_ to be driven around and you’re getting it for free here. So why don’t you just sit back, enjoy the moment and stop complaining, huh? Is that okay with you Danny? Do you think you can do that?”

“Okay.” Danny said as they pulled up into the underground parking. Steve turned off the engine and turned to face Danny. He had to admit, in as much as he made fun of Danny’s ties back in Hawaii, seeing him now, in a suit and tie in the New York weather, really brought out the best of Danny Williams. He _wore_ that suit. “You know this is going to be a hard day. I’m gonna need all the luck I can get.”

And with that there was a sudden shift in the energy and they both felt it. The invisible force was at work yet again, pulling the men closer and closer until the tips of their noses nearly touched. This time there was no stopping the inevitable. This time they didn’t have Charlie to worry about. Danny parted his lips and the action made Steve lightly wet his lips. Their eyes met and Steve lifted Danny’s chin up ever so slightly and their lips collided. Danny moaned when he felt Steve’s warm tongue explore the inside of his mouth, arousing him with every move. He pulled Steve closer and ran his fingers through the SEAL’s dark hair. Steve cupped Danny’s face as their tongues brushed against each other and the two men were lost in the passion of their kiss. They kissed as though they were possessed. As if their lives depended on it. _I guess that’s what ten years of built up sexual tension does to you_. They finally broke off only to gaze into each other’s eyes.

“Wow!” Steve said, breathing hard as he touched foreheads with Danny.

“Oh babe, when I said I needed luck I did not expect _that_.” Danny laughed. “I will see you when I see you. I love you.” Danny chastely kissed Steve again before leaving the car.

“I love you too.” Steve said pulling his sexy McGarrett smile and winking at Danny.

“Animal. Get out of here.”

***

**Callen**

As usual, Danny met Mike at the door where they exchanged coffee mugs before walking into the briefing room.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my two best agents! Come on in gentlemen. Great work on the Stoner case.” Special Agent Callen congratulated them while the other agents cheered and clapped as they walked to their seats.

“Oh stop. Please stop.” Danny complained, taking his seat.

“Yeah, I don’t see why everyone is happy. I mean, Stoner’s dead. He didn’t even get to face punishment for his crimes.” Mike added, taking his seat next to Danny.

“Win some lose some, gentlemen. And that was a win.” Agent Callen said before changing the topic and turning back to the big monitor. “Ian Wright. This hacker is on the FBI’s most wanted list and wouldn’t you know it? He was spotted right here in New York. Yesterday he turned all the traffic lights to red, just for fun. It took the Cyber Crimes Unit hours to undo what he did. This guy is a nuisance and we have to catch him before he causes more havoc. Agents, we have a long week ahead of us. Let’s catch this son of a bitch.”

The Monday morning brief ended and Danny had to excuse himself from Mike. “Hey, go ahead I’ll catch up.” He walked up to Callen’s office and knocked before popping his head in and asked if he could get in. Callen gave him a nod and pointed to an empty chair next to his desk.

“What brings you here Danny? Wakowski stole your parking space again?” Callen teased him.

“He wouldn’t even dream of it.” Danny laughed. “But anyway, that’s uh… that’s not why I’m here.” He paused. He didn’t know how or where to begin. Last night when he rehearsed his speech in front of his bathroom mirror, it seemed quite easy. But today it’s like reality kicked in and he suddenly became nervous. He loved his job and leaving it, leaving New York, his friends… his partner…. Danny wasn’t sure he was ready to leave them. He couldn’t help but think that maybe in some twisted way, he was abandoning them. He felt guilty but he knew he had to make this decision for himself and his family.

“Steve asked me to go back to Hawaii with him.” Danny looked up to see Callen’s reaction but he got nothing. “I considered it… and I said yes.” Callen didn’t even look surprised, instead he just smiled.

“So, he finally did get to it?” Callen asked.

“You knew about this?” To say Danny was shocked would be putting it mildly. He, unlike Callen, was in fact surprised.

“Yeah, Steve paid me a courtesy call before coming here. He told me he was planning to get you back to Oahu and now I see he finally did.” Callen paused and dug up a yellow envelope from his desk drawer before he continued. “Danny, I always knew your heart wasn’t truly here. I guess I knew that when I hired you. This was never going to be enough for you. You belong in Hawaii and we both know it.”

“Uhm… thank you?” Danny said then laughed nervously. It was now or never. He took out the piece of paper he had folded earlier and kept in his breast pocket and handed it to Callen who opened it, skimmed through its contents then dropped it on his table.

“I see your resignation… and I raise you a transfer.” Callen handed the visibly shocked Danny the yellow envelope and continued. “You’ll still be a part of my team, meaning our resources are still at your disposal, but I’ll let Five-0 borrow you… for the foreseeable future. You will however, be reporting back to me through a supervisor that I’ve assigned to you from the Hawaii field office. Crime happens everywhere and I don’t see why we can’t partner up, after all, it worked pretty well for us with Dracul Comescu.”

“That’s uh… that’s really nice and all but uh… I mean thank you, really... but uh… I don’t know if you know this but Five-0 was dismantled, keep up babe.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.” Callen smirked at him. Danny wanted to say something… a lot of things actually, but Callen held his hand up and said, “I don’t wanna hold you up any longer than I should. Get out of here, go say goodbye to your friends, alright?”

“Alright.”

***

**Reggie**

When Danny got to Reggie’s desk, he found him vigorously typing on his keyboard as if it did something wrong to him and was being punished.

“Yo, you busy?” Danny asked as he cleared some cluster on Reggie’s desk and sat there.

“Hang on…” He said as he continued typing, his hands were literally flying about on his keyboard until eventually he stopped with an aggressive hit on the ‘Enter’ key. _That’s how it’s done!_

“What’s up?” Reggie asked, swinging his chair around so that he was facing Danny.

“Just checking in, you good?” Danny asked, taking a stapler from Reggie’s desk and playing with it, anything to keep his hands from shaking.

“Yeah, yeah.” Reggie said pulling a chocolate treat he always kept on his desk drawer. He made a show to offer Danny some but Danny shook his head. “Okay so get this. I’m making pancakes, right? Then I decided to add some pineapples to the mix, right?”

At that point Danny gave him a look that clearly read ‘what the actual fuck?’

“And then Charlie straight out scolds me that the only thing that belongs in a pancake are blueberries and chocolate chips. Could you believe that?”

“That’s my boy.” Danny proudly said.

“You taught him that?”

“I taught him well. What’s the matter with you? Adding pineapples in pancakes. Are you crazy? I should arrest you. How am I friends with you? I wonder.”

“How am _I_ friends with you? Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“You think you’re funny, huh? You think you’re funny?” Danny asked laughing. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to be the food police, alright? There’s uh… there’s something you gotta know.”

“What is it Danny?” Reggie was serious now. He sensed whatever Danny was about to tell him was not good news.

“I uh… I’m really grateful for you. You’ve been a really good friend to me and my kids, they love you and I do too and that’s why this is so hard for me to say.” He paused to take a much needed deep breath before he continued. “Steve asked me to move back to Hawaii with him and I said yes.” Danny blurted out. It was the only way he could do it. Rip the bandage right off, no hesitations, because it would only hurt more. He looked at Reggie who had his head down and a thoughtful look on his face. He felt bad for him. Reggie had grown to be one of Danny’s best friends and it pained him to be leaving him behind. “I thought you deserved to hear it in person before the office gossips start spreading the news.”

“Damn, I guess I saw it coming… but hearing it now…” Reggie rubbed his temples and sighed. “You go ahead and do what’s right for you and just know that I support you, a hundred percent, okay?”

“Thanks man. And I’m really sorry. I’m really gonna miss you.” Danny said as Reggie got up from his chair and gave him a tight brotherly hug.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Jersey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice how I didn't include Mike in the goodbyes? I just felt like, as Danny's partner, he deserved at least a chapter of his own. The next one is for him.  
> With that being said, same time next week. Stay safe and have a great rest of your week.


	14. Mike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I couldn't post last week, got tied up with my project. I literally blinked and it was Monday and I hadn't done my final editing yet and I just... Time does fly when you're busy.  
> I do hope you love this one because after this, the whole NY chapter will be closed and we'll be opening the Steve and Gracie chapter.  
> Enjoy :)

*******

_**“Damn, I guess I saw it coming… but hearing it now…” Reggie rubbed his temples and sighed. “You go ahead and do what’s right for you and just know that I support you, a hundred percent, okay?”** _

_**“Thanks man. And I’m really sorry. I’m really gonna miss you.” Danny said as Reggie got up from his chair and gave him a tight brotherly hug.** _

_**“I’m gonna miss you too, Jersey.”** _

_******* _

For the third time in a span of five minutes Danny splashed the cold water on his face. He then gripped the sink counter with both hands for support as he stared at himself on the mirror, dripping wet, not just from the water. He loosened his tie and undid the first two buttons. He needed to breathe. He was nervous to face Mike but he knew he had to accept the inevitable. And so, one more time, just because, he splashed the cold water on his face again. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth and halfheartedly wiped himself dry before exiting the bathroom. He was done hiding.

He found Mike at the little kitchenette shuffling through the fridge. After a while he came out with a sandwich wrapped in cling film with a sticky note attached to it with a big ‘GREENE’ written on it.

“I’m in a mood.” Mike said as he ripped off the wrap, crumbled it and threw it in the trash can. He then went ahead and took a big bite of the tuna sandwich. “Hmm this is actually pretty good.” He said with his mouth full.

“Why are you in a mood?”

“Why? I’ll tell you why.” Mike said, heading out to the bullpen forcing Danny to follow him closely behind. “I was hoping we’d steal the Mahone case back from Marshall and Greene. But get this…” he took another bite of ‘his’ sandwich. “Those fools actually closed the damn case. Can you believe that?”

Danny did not believe that.

“Those idiots.” There’s nothing worse than your rivals beating you in your own case. “I don’t know if I should be happy or angry that those two schmucks solved our case. Frankly, I didn’t even know they had a brain up until now.”

“That’s coz they didn’t! They don’t! I mean, they’re so dumb, combined they don’t even have _half_ the brain of a five-year-old. And this is me being kind.” Mike said as he sat heavily on his seat and shoved the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth.

Danny got to his desk that was next Mike’s. Their desks were arranged in such a way that they formed an ‘L’. That was the formation of all the desks in the work area. Agent Callen had insisted on an open office layout to improve teamwork and productivity. Danny sat on his chair and cleared the papers on his desk, keeping the ones he needed and discarding the ones he didn’t in the bin next to his desk. He knew he was stalling. But until he was absolutely ready for the talk, he figured he might as well arrange his desk drawer.

When he opened his drawer, he wasn’t surprised with what he found. In fact, on the contrary, he had expected it. Even when he made a point to lock his drawers, somehow his colleagues always found a way to break in into his desk. Annoying as it was at times, he had to admit, he never wished for it to stop.

So that day when he opened his desk drawer and found it overflowing with those little umbrellas, he couldn’t help but smile even though he always feigned annoyance. It’s ironic how in Hawaii he was known as the _haole_ and in New York he’s the Hawaiian guy.

Laughing, he picked one up and swung his chair back so he could see Marshall and Greene who were two desks away from where he was.

“Real funny guys.” He said raising the umbrella up for them to see. All he got in return was a hysterical laughter from the duo who went ahead and high-fived each other for their job well done. _Obviously._ Danny smiled and swung his chair back in place.

“You know they only do that because they know it gets to you.” Mike said, smiling.

“Yeah, well you’d think that after two years it would cease to be funny, but I guess not.”

“What can they do Danny? You stick out like a sore thumb dude.”

“Oh really? How? Please, enlighten me.”

“Well, for starters, you say stuff like ‘ _mahalo’_ instead of ‘thank you’ like normal people. You once said I was _ohana_. Who says that Danny, huh? Only you.”

Danny laughed and threw the umbrella at Mike who caught it and threw it back at him. “You should try it. It just sounds better, trust me.”

After a while Danny got up, went round his desk and sat on the edge of it that allowed him to face Mike, who turned his seat around to do the same.

Danny cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to hide his shaky hands and mute his beating heart. He sighed and felt a sweat trickle down his back. For Mike, he wished there was a gentler way to put it. One that didn’t hurt as much.

Mike just sighed and watched him. He knew all too well what was coming and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Hey buddy, I uh… there’s something I gotta tell you.”

“I heard.” He said flatly.

“What? How?”

“Look around you. We’re in a building full of agents whose job is to spy on people. What did you expect?” Mike looked visibly hurt even though he was trying to hide it. And that only made it harder for Danny to confirm that dreadful reality.

“I wanted to be the one to tell you, but it looks like the office gossips beat me to do.”

“Yeah.”

Mike didn’t trust his voice at the moment and so he opted to say as little words as possible incase his voice decided to crack and betray him.

Deep down he always knew the day would come when Danny would up and leave. He knew that Danny’s stay was only temporary, even if he didn’t want to believe it then. He always knew where Danny’s heart truly was. Hawaii. But that didn’t mean it hurt any less.

He took a mental picture of the man in front of him; his partner and best friend; and thought back on the times they had spent together. He remembered when Agent Callen had assigned him Danny as his new partner. He had his reservations at first, but after their first case together he knew he was lucky to be partnered with the best man he could ever count on to have his back in the field. The two had clicked after that and even in the field they could predict each other’s moves, tell when the other was about to lose it and who would play good cop bad cop.

He thought of how they’d unwind over some cold beer and pizzas after a hard case. He remembered how Danny would talk non-stop about every topic imaginable. But mostly he remembered how Danny would talk about Hawaii; his home.

It was all Danny talked about even when he didn’t realize it. Especially on stakeouts. He’d always talk about Oahu and the ocean, that he had undoubtedly admitted that he missed. He talked about Kamekona and his shrimps and how he was one hell of an entrepreneur. Sometimes Mike felt like he knew everyone in Hawaii through Danny. There were moments when he actually imagined himself in some scenarios that Danny said. Like when he thought he was supposedly being haunted by spirits for disrespecting the _heiau,_ Hawaiian temple, because he couldn’t wait for the _kahuna_ to bless the site and ask the ‘magic ghosts’ for permission to get in.

Deep down Mike wished he was a part of it. A part of Danny’s ohana back in Hawaii. He wished he had known Danny longer. He wished the two years he’d known him were longer and he envied Steve who had a decade worth of friendship with Danny even though he’d screwed it up. But of course, Danny forgave him because he had such a big heart. He always cared for people neglecting his own feelings. He was the best man he’d ever known. He was his best friend, closest thing to a brother he never had. But even with that in mind he knew Danny had been running from his past when he moved to New York. And he was glad to have played a part in Danny’s little attempt at an escape from reality. But now he had to let him go.

“If you want me to stay, I’ll stay… at least for a little while longer until you’re ready.”

And there goes Saint Danny again. Ready to sacrifice his own happiness for others. And that just reminded Mike of what a great partner and friend Danny was and still is. He was sure if he said he wasn’t ready then Danny would put his life on hold until he was sure he was. But he couldn’t do that to Danny. He loved him too much to ever keep him in New York for his own selfish reasons. He had to let him go.

“No, I can’t keep you here. I could never live with myself if I did that and then you’d grow to resent me. You’re my partner and my best friend and I know you have to do this it’s just…”

Mike felt a tear flow down his cheek and he quickly got rid of it, embarrassed at himself. But when Danny leaned forward and laid a comforting hand on his knee, he knew he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. It was a losing battle and he let himself quietly cry. Danny rubbed his knee, squeezing it every now and then, trying his level best to comfort his friend without even realizing that he too was in tears. _Marshall and Greene will have a field day with this one, Danny thought._

“I’m gonna miss you man.” Mike said, finally calmed down.

“I’m gonna miss you too buddy. I love you. You know that, right?”

“I know, I love you too man.”

“This isn’t the end, alright?”

“I know, it’s just… it really sucks.” Mike looked around the bullpen, trying not to look at Danny’s face for the fear that he might break down again and this time maybe Marshall and Greene would notice and laugh at him and…

“Hey, I got an idea.” He said, turning to Danny with an evil grin on his face.

“Oh no, what?” Danny said, laughing. He knew that look all too well. It usually, if not always, landed them in Callen’s office with Maggie from HR giving them a lecture on proper office conduct and Marshall and Greene standing at the back, fuming at them.

“Those idiots are walking around like they own the damn place. I think we should teach them a little lesson on humility, what do you say? You up for it?” Mike smiled sheepishly and lightly tagged Danny’s leg. “Oh, come on. For old times’ sake.” Danny looked at the mischievous smile on his partner’s face and laughed. Who could say no to that look?

“Okay!” Danny laughed getting up. “What do you have in mind?”

“I think we should get them off that high horse.”

“Wait, I think I know this one.” Danny laughed, heading for the elevators and only turned around to confirm his thought. “We’re going to deflate their tires, right?”

“Oh, you know me so well buddy.” Mike smiled, wrapping his arm around Danny’s shoulder as they walked out.

“Maggie is going to kill us.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe and have a great rest of your week!


	15. Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and the feedback, I truly appreciate it and I always love to know what you guys think so, do keep them coming :D  
> I really love this little chapter... I hope you do too.  
> Enjoy!

“I don’t know man. I mean, it’s been two years too long. I don’t… I don’t know man.”

“Steve relax, ok?” Danny reached over the console and gave Steve’s thigh a squeeze. “I’ll be there with you. What could possibly go wrong, eh?” He smiled.

Steve gave him a look that clearly stated ‘You just _had_ to jinx it?’

“Okay, sorry. I take it back. But seriously though, it’ll be fine.”

Steve still didn’t look convinced.

“Listen, I talked to her, I told her everything, I even sent her a picture of you because she didn’t believe me! My own daughter didn’t believe me!”

It’s true. When Danny called Gracie, she was genuinely concerned about her father’s sanity.

**_***_ **

**_G:_ ** _Are you having a mental breakdown Danno? Is this your breaking point? Should I be concerned?_

**_D:_** _No monkey, there’s no need to be concerned because I’m fine, ok? I’m perfectly sane… but then again 94% of all psychotics think they’re sane. So, I guess we have to ask ourselves, what_ is _sane? But that is not the point here. I’m babbling, I know. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m happy and a part of that is because of your Uncle Steve who still loves you by the way, in case you were wondering… Monkey? You there, babe?_

**_G:_ ** _I’m here Danno._

**_D:_ ** _So, what do you say?_

**_G:_ ** _I…_

**_D:_ ** _Before you say anything, just know that I won’t be angry at you, ok? I’ll respect your decision, alright? You’re my number one favorite daughter and I love you so so much._

**_G:_ ** _Okay._

**_D:_ ** _What do you say?_

_…_

**_G:_ ** _Hmmm I don’t know Danno… I just… I don’t want…_

**_D:_ ** _Hey hey, it’s okay monkey. It’s okay, you don’t have to._

**_G:_ ** _NO!_

_…_

**_G:_ ** _No. I wanna see him… in person. I have two weeks left before school closes but I can’t wait that long… Bring him to LA. I wanna see him._

**_D:_ ** _Sure thing, monkey._

_…_

**_G:_ ** _I gotta go. Love you Danno. Kiss Charlie goodnight for me._

**_D:_ ** _I love you too monkey. Goodnight._

_***_

“Steve, she wants to see you. She practically ordered me to bring you to LA. You can’t back out, okay? See, you don’t have a choice here. Charlie no-”

“Okay.” He knew he was defeated so he gave in. But there was still a panic in his voice that he hoped Danny didn’t notice, which he didn’t because he was busy trying to get a packet of gummies from Charlie who was surprisingly strong with his grip on the sugary treat. It was like watching a tag of war with the undefeated champion slowly losing to the underdog. He watched as Danny gave up and turned back on his seat. “Okay.”

***

They arrived at UCLA and Steve pulled up at the parking lot before turning off the engine. Danny thought it would be wise he be the first to see Grace before the dreaded reunion. Steve quickly agreed as he gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles white from the tension. It pained Danny to see him like that. He wanted to ease his pain but he didn’t know how. He knew he had no say on the outcome of their interaction and he damn well wasn’t going to convince Gracie to forgive Steve simply because he did. He wasn’t going to play favorites or try to puppeteer a resolution that ensured all parties forgave each other and coexisted in harmony just for his peace of mind. No, he wasn’t going to be that selfish. All he felt he could do within his power was to lean over and plant a kiss on Steve’s cheek and hope it somehow took a bit of the pain away from him. He relaxed when he noticed Steve’s lips curl up into a smile that disappeared just as quickly. But there was definitely a smile. And that was all Danny needed.

***

Danny took Charlie with him and they went straight for the dorms. He had been there one too many times that everyone knew he was Gracie’s father and no one bothered to stop and check him for ID. As if she heard them coming, Gracie opened the door to her room even before they knocked and screamed in excitement when she saw her family. Charlie jumped up on her sister who stumbled back a little at the sudden weight on her, but she didn’t put him down though.

“Hi Charlie! I really missed you lil’ bro.” She kissed both his cheeks and rubbed their noses together. Charlie giggled and hid his face under her neck.

“Okay, too heavy.” She grunted. “I’m gonna drop you.”

Gracie playfully dropped him on her bed before she proceeded to hug her dad. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder breathing in the familiar cologne that she’d missed. Danny tightened his grip and kissed her hair, not missing the lovely smell of her strawberry shampoo.

“I missed you Danno.”

“I missed you too monkey.”

They broke off their embrace and stared at each other for a while. “You can have a seat here. Hang on…” She cleared out her desk and took out some clothes that had started piling up on her study chair and dropped them to the corner of the room where there was already a mountain size pile. _There’s always one in every room_. Danny sat on her chair while she joined Charlie on her bed.

“Uncle Steve is back! Did you know?” Charlie asked excitedly.

“Yes, I did Charlie. Danno told me. He also told me you didn’t want to go to school because of that. Is that true?”

Charlie looked down at his hands and simply nodded.

Gracie didn’t mean to bring out her mum voice on him but she couldn’t help it. After Rachel left, she kind of became the mother figure to Charlie. God knows he needed one. Even though she hadn’t agreed with her mum for leaving them, she was obliged to understand her. Even though she never admitted it out loud, she was actually glad she left. Rachel was her mum yes, but she was toxic. She was a good mum but not so much a good person. She took her away from her dad and forced him to leave his family and job behind to follow them thousands of miles across the sea to Hawaii. And even then, she still had the guts to fight him for visitation rights. But the worst part was when she kept Charlie a secret from both her and Danny for three whole years. Rachel was her mother but she hurt Danno more than anyone deserved. You don’t keep a son away from his father for three years. That’s just cruel and uncalled for and she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy. But Rachel was gone now and it was just the three of them against the world. So, when Gracie saw Charlie shrink in sudden fear, she knew she had to lighten up the mood.

“But I heard you got good grades though. You little genius!” She tickled him.

“Do you wanna see Uncle Steve? He dropped me off to school and picked me up every day, did you know? Jack was so jealous.” Charlie laughed. He was back to his usual cheery self like nothing ever happened.

“Jack is always jealous of you.”

“Danno and Uncle Steve love each other.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, they keep saying it all the time. They like love _love_ each other. I told Jack but he thinks it’s weird. I think it’s so cool!”

“Yeah, it is. Don’t listen to Jack. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She turned to face her father who was awfully quiet, lost in his own thoughts yet again. “Danno?”

“Yeah monkey, what’s up?” He gave her a teethy grin that made her laugh.

“I’d like to see him now, please. Alone.” She said in all seriousness.

“Okay, I’ll go get him.” Danny stood up. “Charlie, come on kiddo. Let’s go call Uncle Steve.”

Before they left, Danny turned back and pulled her into another hug. “I love you monkey.”

“I love you too.”

***

After what felt like hours but it was roughly ten minutes, he saw Danny and Charlie approach the car. He didn’t even wait for them to get to the car instead he quickly got out and met them halfway. He did notice though, that Gracie wasn’t with them but before he got to ask, Danny gave him the answer.

“She’s waiting for you. Second floor, dorm 15.” He noticed how Steve tensed up again and he got up on his tippy toes and lightly kissed him on the lips. “Remember how you freaked out before talking to Mary? But everything turned out great, right?”

Steve just nodded.

“You got this babe. Go talk to her.”

***

The walk up to Gracie’s dorm felt like walking in a mine field. Every step took a bit of life out of him and by the time he finally got to her door he was sweating profusely. Again, as if she was psychic, she opened her door just as Steve was about to knock. They stared at each other for a whole minute that somehow felt like an eternity. Steve swallowed loudly and ran his hand over his face in an attempt to wipe away his sweat. He noticed how Gracie had grown since the last time he’d seen her. She had her hair up in a neat pony tail which subtly brought attention to her face, especially her vibrant brown eyes. She had on a maroon UCLA hoodie with grey sweats, barefoot. Steve also noticed that she didn’t have a smile on her face instead her mouth kept moving in a weird way. _Why was it doing that?_

“Hello? Did you hear me? Do I need to shout?”

“Oh, uhm… sorry. What was that?” He was flustered.

“I said, you can come in and have a seat.” She said bluntly as she stepped aside to let him in.

To say Gracie’s room was amazing was an understatement. The décor that went into the room wasn’t missed even by inexperienced eyes. There was a noticeable white line that ran across the room that acted as a borderline between the different sides of the room. The zigzag boundary made it look as if someone tore out two different pictures and glued them together. On the left half side of the room was her roommate’s side which was dark, almost gothic, yet delicate. From the bed covers to the posters on her wall, everything was a different shade of black and purple. On the right half side of the room was Gracie’s side. It was the complete opposite. It was bright, almost beachy like, with different tones of blue and green to balance out the white of the wall. Everything complimented each other and it didn’t feel like an over-do, instead there was a perfect balance to it. The visible contrast was definitely aesthetically pleasing to the eye. You could tell the girls put a lot of effort to ensure everyone had a bit of their personality embedded in the room.

“Sit.” She motioned to the empty chair as she sat on her bed and crossed her legs. Once Steve was settled on his seat, he took a deep breath and looked at her. This was harder than Charlie’s. This time he didn’t have the convenience of a young age to play to his advantage. He didn’t even have Danny with him to chip in in case things got a little out of hand. It was just him and a fully grown Grace. So, with all the courage he could master, he met her eyes.

“Hi.”

Nothing. It was as if he was talking to a brick wall.

“I’ve missed you.”

“Why did you leave us, huh? Come on, what do you have to say for yourself? Go ahead, convince me why, instead of studying for my exams, I should sit here and listen to your lame ass excuse of leaving in the first place. Go ahead Commander.” _Damn, just like Danny, she too had a mouth on her._ And just like Danny she didn’t beat around the bush, certainly didn’t have time for pleasantries either.

“I… I’m so… sorry I left Gracie. I never meant to hurt you or Charlie or even Danny.”

“But you left.” She accused.

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t just leave Danno, you know? You abandoned us too. Did you even love us? Did you even think of us?”

And there goes that word again. _Abandoned_. Even though he heard it before, it still stung to hear it again. And why would Grace think he didn’t love her?

“Everyday Grace. I thought about you every single day.” His voice was hoarse and he almost felt embarrassed to hear it.

“I don’t believe you.” She said flatly.

“I’ll be honest with you Gra-”

“WHY DID YOU LEAVE US?!” And just like that she was up and yelling and throwing her hands around like Danny. _Exactly_ like Danny. “ALL WE EVER DID WAS LOVE YOU AND YOU ABANDONED US!”

She paused just for a little breather and then continued. Steve was wise enough to keep his mouth shut until he knew she was absolutely done.

“All we ever did was love you and be there for you no matter what. Danno was loyal to you. He loved you. Crazy as it is, he still does. He was always by your side no matter the situation and even now, he was ready and willing to forgive you and take you back, why did you leave him Steve? Why did you leave us?” _Breathe Gracie. Just breathe_.

Steve didn’t know what hurt most, the brutal honesty or the fact that the word ‘Uncle’ was deliberately and cruelly left out. When did she stop calling him Uncle Steve?

“You broke my heart.” She said, dropping back down to her bed. She looked completely crashed and the sight of her looking so down broke Steve’s heart. “You were my favorite and I thought I was yours too. After Uncle Matty died you promised me that you’d never leave me. _You promised_. And I was happy. I was happy that I had my Uncle Steve with me. Even though Uncle Matty wasn’t there I still felt safe because you promised to take care of me. You broke your promise.”

Her voice cracked at the end and she broke down. Her palms covered her face in a weak attempt to keep the tears at bay. She sobbed, her body shaking so hard that Steve got up only to sit next to her in bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest. He rubbed her back gently as he rested his head on hers. He whispered to her how much he loved her and how sorry he was, but the little girl was still having a meltdown. Steve didn’t give up though, he kept assuring her that he loved and that he was never leaving her again. Ever.

Once Gracie was calm enough, that is when she stopped shaking, Steve pulled back and cupped her face. With his thumbs, he brushed off the warm tears still streaming down her cheeks. He did this three times before he finally gave up and let them flow freely. He leaned and touched foreheads with her, breathing in her familiar scent. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“Gracie I’m never _ever_ gonna leave you again. I’ll tell you that a thousand times until you believe it. I’ll keep telling you that however long it takes. It was selfish of me to leave in the first place. I was a coward and I ran from the only family I had left and I’m sorry Gracie. I just hope someday you’ll learn to forgive me. I love you Grace, so much and I’m sorry I hurt you.”

He sniffed. He didn’t even realize he was crying too. He kissed her forehead a few times, prolonging the last kiss before he pulled back and lightly tilted her head up to look at her now red puffy eyes.

“I love you Gracie.”

“I love you too Uncle Steve.” She said in a tiny voice, but you could sense the change of tone in her voice. There was love in them. She meant her words and that warmed Steve’s heart. A fresh set of tears ran down her cheeks again as she wrapped her arms around Steve’s waist tightly, her face buried on his broad chest. Steve rubbed her back, comforting her, holding her close, letting her know that she can relax into the embrace and that he wasn’t going anywhere. Steve made a silent vow right then to never leave again. He was home. The Williams were his home. His ohana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe... and have a great rest of your week! :)


	16. Just Can't Get Enough of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really went out of my comfort zone for this one...  
> I hope you enjoy it, you can leave kudos, comments... I always love to know what you guys think :)

They’d spent the weekend with Gracie and Mary and on Sunday they flew back to New York. The flight back left them exhausted and Charlie fell asleep immediately his head hit his soft pillow. Danny left Steve to tuck him in while he took a quick shower. He got finished just in time to see Steve, a towel wrapped around his waist, heading for the bathroom downstairs.

“No, don’t use that one.”

“What? Why?”

“Trust me after that flight, you need a better shower. Come up and use mine.”

“I would gladly do that but I don’t see what’s wrong with this one.”

“Mine has two shower heads and the pressure is out of this place. Come up and give it a shot, you’ll thank me later.”

Steve smiled and got up the stairs to Danny’s room. For some reason Danny made no attempt to move aside instead he just leaned on the door frame forcing Steve to squeeze himself in, rubbing bodies with him as he got into the room.

After six minutes, which was a new record, Steve walked out dripping wet with his towel wrapped seductively low on his waist, exaggerating the V shape on his fit body. He stood for a moment to dry his feet on the soft gray mat that was laid on the entrance of the bathroom.

“Wow! You were right Danny. That’s the best shower I’ve heard in a long time.”

He smiled up at Danny but the blonde’s gaze was focused on his broad chest.

The water dripping slowly down the sharp definitions of Steve’s perfect abs were doing wonders to Danny’s brain cells and sent his blood flowing all the way South. Danny was sure if he didn’t address it, he’d probably pass out because a half-naked, dripping wet, Steven McGarrett, was ridiculously hot to say the least. He slowly wet his lips and bit his lower lip. He was ogling and he didn’t even care to hide it. It’s not the first time he’d seen a shirtless Steve but tonight was different because he wasn’t just _‘Steve McGarrett, my partner’_. He was _his_ partner. _His_ Steve.

Danny walked slowly towards Steve who for some reason was frozen in place. He ran his warm fingers down Steve’s chest, mentally counting his abs and stopping just short of his V, lingering, teasing, oblivious of what his touch did to poor Steve.

It was only when his vision started becoming blurry that Steve realized he had been holding his breath all along.

“Danny…” But Danny shushed him by getting up on his tippy toes and kissing him deeply and longingly. It wasn’t long until Steve was returning the kiss, parting his lips and letting Danny’s tongue explore his mouth. Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck pulling him closer. After a while they broke off and he felt Steve’s hands under his shirt pulling it up and over his head in a swift move. Before he knew it, Steve was cupping his face and was back to kissing him. In the heat of the moment he bit Danny’s lower lip and was rewarded with a moan. Danny in return lightly squeezed Steve’s ass which earned him a low groan. _Because they just couldn’t help but make everything a competition._

As if by magic Steve’s towel disappeared and he was left completely naked with Danny planting little torturous pecks on his chest. He then leaned up and kissed Steve’s neck, and then whispered in his ear those three magical words he knew Steve wanted to hear and before Steve could even think to respond, he teasingly bit his earlobe. He then went back to kissing Steve’s neck and followed the trail back to his chest until finally his tongue was running circles round Steve’s right nipple and Steve absolutely lost it. He could not take it any longer. He picked up Danny effortlessly and dropped him on the bed and in a blink of an eye Danny’s clothes were gone too. Now they were both naked, Danny on his back on the bed and Steve standing over him. Steve took a mental picture of the moment and locked it safely in The McGarrett memory vault for Danny related issues and classified mission intel.

He then leaned down and passionately kissed Danny. He was so lost in the kiss that he forgot he needed to breathe, or rather that Danny needed to breathe. He pulled away only to trail kisses down Danny’s neck all the way down to his chest and back just in time for Danny to dig his fingers in his hair and pull him back in for another dirty kiss. Danny wrapped his legs around Steve’s body and pulled him down to him. He felt Steve’s hot and hard member against him; they both were, actually.

“I can’t wait any longer Steve. I need you inside me now.”

Danny pulled himself further up in the bed and turned to shuffle through his nightstand coming back with a bottle of lube and some condoms. Clearly, he had prepared for this.

“Wanna do the honors?”

“Gladly.”

Steve had a wicked grin on his face as he took the lube. He pushed Danny’s legs apart and positioned himself in the middle. After that he poured a generous amount of lube into his hand and got to work. He started with one finger and watched as Danny winced when the cold liquid got in contact with his skin. He then proceeded to two fingers, gently massaging Danny’s hole, no rush. Three fingers, Danny relaxed in his touch. His dick was leaking precum onto his stomach now and Steve took it in his hands and licked it clean. He did the same to Danny’s stomach, and just because he could, he lightly bit down on the scar that reminded him of the sacrifice Danny was willing and ready to make for him. He was deeply in love with that man and he was going to prove it.

He ripped open the condom and slid it down his hard member. Danny watched him, biting his lower lip and making sounds that Steve was pretty sure would push him over the edge. He turned Danny to his side, laid down next to him and lifted his leg up. He kissed the back of Danny’s neck, and at the same time guided his dick inside Danny’s ass and he let out an erotic moan when he felt how tight Danny was. Danny brought his leg further up making it easier for Steve to slowly push into him. Danny lifted his hips and pushed back, meeting Steve’s thrust and after a while they found their rhythm. They kept at it for some time, thrusting slowly, trying their best to savor the moment. With every push Steve could feel Danny dilate more and more and when he was completely buried in Danny, he leaned over and whispered something in Danny’s ear that made the blonde moan. Danny turned his head back to say something but Steve was quick shut him up with yet another dirty kiss. _Smooth Dog, Danny thought._ No longer able to maintain the slow pace anymore, he upped his speed and pushed faster and harder into Danny. Steve brought up his hand and tightly gripped Danny’s shoulder in an attempt to make him as still as possible as he pushed harder into him. Danny moaned so loud when Steve hit his prostate that he had to cover his mouth.

“You’re loud in bed.” Steve noted, impressed with the response he got from his lover.

“You don’t like it?”

“Danno, I love it!” He leaned down to kiss him chastely.

With their new found rhythm, Steve pushed harder and deeper into Danny hitting the sensitive nerve time and again with every thrust. He felt himself build up and Danny must’ve noticed it too because he lifted himself up again and clenched his ass driving Steve absolutely insane. “Danny… oh, Danny. I’m gonna cum.”

Danny just reached out for Steve’s hand and brought it over to his own straining cock, silently saying that he too, was ready. It took three hard thrusts to get him to the climax and Steve let out a low satisfied moan as he reached a blissful orgasm inside Danny. He stroked Danny’s cock and the slight squeeze and touch on the tip of his dick was just enough to make the blonde shake and cum all over his stomach and on Steve’s hands. His vision was blurry for a while after that as he took in the pleasure of the moment.

They laid side by side on their backs now, panting and sweating.

“You got a stupid smile on your face, why is that?” Danny asked, finally finding his voice.

Steve turned to kiss him softly before burying his head on Danny’s neck and sucking on it making sure to leave a hickey.

“You’re marking your territory? You’re such an animal.” Danny laughed as he pulled him away so that he could have a better look at the SEAL. Steve rested his hand on Danny’s face and drowned himself in those ocean blue eyes of Danno’s. _His_ Danno.

“Man, we wasted a decade bickering when we could’ve been doing this?”

“I know right? I also know that we need to take another shower. Up you go. Come on.” Danny got up and pulled Steve with him as they headed for _the_ shower. They took turns cleaning each other, occasionally stopping to kiss, rubbing their bodies together. Danny couldn’t help but smile when he noticed that Steve was getting hard for him again.

“You look like you’re ready for round two there, buddy.”

“The night is still young.”

And so it was, because they had a steamy shower sex after that.

“I take it back, _that_ was the best shower I have ever had.” Steve said, caressing Danny’s back as they cuddled in bed. He could get used to that. Danny in his arms, sharing a bed, being in love. It was a good feeling. He was happy. For once in his forty-odd years he could say he’d found his haven. He’d found peace. And it was a good color on him.

***

He watched as Danny slept next to him, mumbling and snoring softly with one arm ducked under his pillow and the other was placed possessively over Steve’s chest pinning him right there on the bed with him. It was a quarter to 6am and out of habit, Steve was already up and alert. He lazily brushed Danny’s hairy arm, careful not to wake him up nonetheless, and reminisced on the day he almost kissed his partner and best friend, Danny Williams.

_It was Kono’s wedding reception party. Neither of them had dates for the wedding; that was until Catherine made an appearance and Steve was forced to go with her. In his mind he had planned to go with Danny with the hope that maybe the scene of the wedding would ignite some well-hidden feelings between them. Maybe even lead them into doing something more, even if the something more was in form of a little kiss or just a mere admission of feelings. Still, Steve was determined to dance with only one person and that was Danny Williams._

_So, when Danny got up and proclaimed that he was going to dance with his daughter, he wanted to scream. He didn’t have much time to even react before Catherine made a move to dance with him and because he was such a gentleman, how could he say no? Although he did ask Chin to join them because that wasn’t awkward at all._

_He kept looking at Danny over Catherine’s shoulder. He didn’t mind the father daughter dance, although he so badly wanted to cut in and have Danny all to himself. So, when Steve saw that Chin, bless him, had stolen Gracie away from her dad and they were now dancing, he knew he had a short window of opportunity and he had to act fast because Danny, being the master of adaptation that he was, was already making his way to Kamekona. Without even thinking, Steve span Catherine around and before she knew what happened she was now partnered with one of Kono’s uncles and Steve was gone._

_He grabbed Danny’s hand and placed it on his waist as he brought him closer to him and goofily danced with the man he loved. He did appreciate how quickly Danny went with the flow, he was even smiling at him and it made Steve’s heart soar. But that feeling was short-lived when the music suddenly turned to yet another slow song. He tried to hide his disappointment because he thought Danny was going to back out and leave him in the dance floor, but Danny had other plans because he stayed put and instead said something in the lines of “_ I hope, for both of us, you know how to slow dance Steven. Because if you so much as step on my feet I will get angry and you don’t wanna see an angry Danno at a wedding reception, trust me. _”_

_He could not believe he was slow dancing with… Danno. He could feel people eyeing them but he didn’t care because he was having the time of his life. One could say he was just as happy as Kono was that day. Everything was going just as planned, up until that moment when he couldn’t help himself and slowly started to lean down for a kiss…_

He felt a nudge on his side and was pulled back from his thoughts to see a sleepy Danny staring curiously at him. He looked so free and relaxed with his ever-perfect hair looking all messed up thanks to his tossing and turning and a little bit of Steve McGarrett mischief. _Who wouldn’t want to mess with that hair, really?_

“Hey good looking.”

“You’re not looking so bad yourself babe. How long have you been up?”

“A while. I like to watch you sleep. You talk in your sleep, did you know?”

“As romantic as some people think that is, I personally think it’s creepy. I mean who in their right mind, deprives themselves of a good sleep just so they can watch someone else sleep next to them? It makes no sense.”

“You’re no fun Danno.”

“Yeah? Tell that to your boner.” Danny laughed when he saw Steve go red.

“Danny!”

But Danny was already under the covers before Steve even had a chance to react. Steve took a hold of the covers and threw them over the side of the bed so he could see Danny. Plus, he didn’t want Danny getting claustrophobic in the middle of a blowjob. _That would just be awkward._ Steve felt the warmth of Danny’s mouth slide down his already hard member and he let out a moan as his hips instinctively moved upwards. Danny somehow knew exactly what to do as he brought his fingers up to Steve’s balls and occasionally, he’d caress them, causing Steve to shake with pleasure. Steve was impressed by Danny’s gag reflex or lack thereof as he felt Danny take him all in.

Danny begun to move his head up and down, sucking and even brushed with his teeth tucked under his lips. He made a mental note to keep that move since it made Steve squirm and tug his fingers under the blonde’s hair, riding his mouth. Steve felt himself build up and tried to warn Danny but the short man was on a mission and he didn’t seem to want to be deterred. Danny begun to move faster back and forth and at the same time he kept massaging Steve’s testicles. Steve let out a low moan as he climaxed and unloaded inside Danny’s mouth. Danny kept going sucking in every last drop and only stopped when he was sure Steve was done. He then trailed kisses up Steve’s chest until he reached his neck, and just because they couldn’t help but be competitive, he made sure to leave a mark of his own.

_What a way to usher in the new day._

“I just can’t get enough of you.” Danny said, pulling the covers back up as he kissed Steve deeply. Steve could taste the saltiness in Danny’s mouth but didn’t mind it one bit.

“Neither can I. You’re mine Danno.” He poked the tip of Danny’s nose and smiled.

“There’s no doubt about that babe.”

Steve brushed Danny’s hair with a thoughtful look on his face that made Danny panic a little.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Steve said, leaning in and lightly kissing Danny’s lips. “I just… I still can’t believe you agreed to leave everything behind and come back to Hawaii with me. I just…”

“Best believe it babe. Need I remind you again, that I will fly across the sea for you. Anywhere you go, I go. That’s what I signed up for when I said those three words to you, which were long overdue by the way. How the hell were we so stubborn?”

“I love you so damn much.”

“I love you too you schmuck.”

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I think I need to get you to the same level I’m in right now.” Steve said as he went under the covers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same time next week. Stay safe and have a great rest of your week.


	17. Hawaii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally move back to Hawaii!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry for the late update.  
> See while I was writing this chapter, I realized I still had a lot to say and I just couldn't squeeze it all in one chapter so they'll be one more (the last one I promise) on Monday. Also concluding this story has been a bit of a challenge. I mean, I have the beginning and the ending written up perfectly but the middle...oh the middle... a tangled mess of ideas! It's frustrating but I love a good challenge :P  
> Enjoy :)

It was a busy few days before they had to leave for Hawaii. Everyone was busy packing their stuff and talking about everything they’d missed and everything they were planning on doing once they got to Hawaii. Although Steve and Danny did most of the heavy lifting, the kids also chipped in with Charlie insisting on labeling all the boxes and Gracie took care of wrapping the fragile items in bubble wrap. Once they were done and satisfied with their work, they made a plan to donate the stuff they didn’t need.

“The TV and the sofa come with us.” Danny said firmly.

“No arguments there buddy.”

“We’ll remodel the house too, right?” Gracie asked.

“Of course, we will monkey. It will be a fresh start. In fact, I think we should bring down everything and just rebuild from the ground up.”

“Really?” Steve asked.

“No, you schmuck! But I do have plans for my kitchen and the overall interior design of our house. And luckily for us, we got our very own, self-proclaimed, interior designer in our midst. I mean, have you seen her dorm room? She’s a genius!”

“Oh yes! This is going to be fun!” Gracie exclaimed gleefully.

***

**Hawaii**

The flight back to Hawaii wasn't anything like the last time the two men flew _out_ of Hawaii. The last time was depressing to say the least. The last time they were both running. Cowardly running from themselves. But this time, they were running no more. If anything, this time they were running back home. After two years they were finally going back to their home.

Steve turned and smiled when he noticed Danny had fallen asleep on his shoulder halfway through watching _Pitch Perfect_. He stayed very still and let his partner use him as a pillow. _I'm lucky... No. I'm truly blessed, Steve thought._

The cab ride to Steve's place felt more like a site seeing given that all of them were glued to their windows, taking in every minute detail of the big island. Breathing in the fresh, almost healing, Hawaiian scent. The heat of the sun, the breeze from the ocean, the sounds of the waves crashing on shore...and then the quiet of the jungle told them they were very close to their destination, the chirping of the birds that followed just intensified their already anxious state. And then the quiet was broken once again by the sounds of the waves crashing onto the little beach. Then the view of the McGarrett house sneaked into focus. The green of the grass inviting them in. It was almost hypnotic.

_Tranquility._

The cab driver stopped and got out of the car to help them with their luggage. Steve quickly got to the other side of the car and opened the door for Danny.

“Ah thanks, chivalry isn't dead.” Danny said as he took Steve’s hand. Charlie made a show of mirroring Steve’s move as he quickly got out and opened Gracie’s door for her. She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheeks as they both walked the path that led to Steve’s house.

Once they were at the door and the cab driver was gone, reality dawned in on the both of them. A kaleidoscope of memories came crashing in. Victor Hess. Nick Taylor. Wo Fat. Daiyu Mei. All the bad things that happened to them on that house made their presence known to them. But then just as the bad memories tore at them, the good overwhelmed them. Kono. Chin. Max. Kamekona. Duke. The good eventually outweighed the bad.

Steve took Danny's hand, who had Charlie safely tucked at his side, squeezed it a little just to tell him that he too was just as nervous; but if they were to start a fresh then they were going to do it together. Steve vowed on that. After an 'okay' nod from Danny, he reached for the door handle. The cold feel of the metal made him shiver a bit as he turned it and pushed the door in. What greeted them was a surprise indeed. They had expected to find the house abandoned and dusty instead it wasn't. It was a bit dusty but you could tell from the white sheets that covered the furniture and the little dusts noticeable, that someone, bless their soul, really put an effort to make the house habitable for when Steve or Danny were ever to return. Whoever the person was certainly never stopped hoping for their return. A real surprise indeed.

“We’re home.” Danny proclaimed.

“Our home.” Steve smiled.

“Home.” Grace added as she hugged Steve tightly.

***

The next few months was spent restoring the bonds they had lost, catching up and renovating the house. They had even hosted a dinner party at the Hilton and were surprised by the turn up. It was as if everyone in Hawaii had been looking forward to their return. Even Sang Min made an appearance. Halfway through the dinner, after they had shared all their experiences the past few years and answered everyone’s burning question that yes, they were indeed together _together_. The response they got was mostly cheers and a couple of _‘Finally’_ and _‘It was about damn time’_ and they were pretty sure money exchanged hands.

Now it was their time to catch up with the others’ lives. It didn’t take them long to realize that the angel who took care of their home was Kamekona, who not-so-subtly, asked for a thank you in the form of a bunch of dead presidents.

***

_“Hey, Kamekona, thank you for taking care of our home while we were away. It means a lot to us.” Steve thanked him and patted the big guy on his shoulder._

_“Don't mention it braddah. Although I believe there's a handsome gratuity for me, right? If you catch my drift.” He said, lifting his eyebrows up and down suggestively and smiling at them._

_“Some things just never change.” Danny laughed._

***

They also learned that Tani and Junior were back with HPD, Tani with the Homicide Unit and Junior with SWAT. The two had moved in together shortly after Danny had left and they were engaged soon to be married. Although they made it known that they were open to rejoining Five-O in case Steve and Danny were thinking of reviving it.

***

_“We’re engaged.” Junior said, wrapping his arm around Tani who smiled and showed off her ring._

_“Mazle tov!” Steve cheered._

_“No, don’t do it buddy. Seriously, just find a woman you really hate…”_

_“And build her a house.” Everyone pitched in laughing._

_“Is that what I’m doing?” Steve asked, turning to face Danny and smirking at him._

_“If you know what’s best for you, you’ll take that back right now.”_

_Steve didn’t say anything, instead he just leaned in and passionately kissed Danny right in front of their ohana because why not?_

_“Do you want me to book you a room?” Tani teased them._

_“Yes, please. That would be lovely.” Said the King of sarcasm._

_Dessert was brought in and Danny couldn’t help but admire the way Junior would occasionally feed Tani his ice cream and tuck her stray hair back behind her ear and how Tani would giggle and give him little pecks on the cheek._ Young love, Danny thought.

_“Our little kids are all grown up Steve.” Danny said in his proud-dad voice, getting up and hugging them._

_“Thank you, sir.” Junior blushed._

_“Oh my God! Still with the ‘sirs’?” Danny complained and everyone cracked up again._

***

Shortly after everyone had settled down again, Lou informed them of his retirement and how he’s golf game had never been better.

***

_“I mean, if I knew all I had to do was retire to get my game on, I’d have done it ages ago.”_

_“So, what you’re saying is retirement has never been better? Is that it?” Steve asked._

_“Hell’s yeah, McGarrett.”_

_“So, even if an opportunity was to present itself again for you to go back to active duty you wouldn’t take it? Say if Five-0 was to miraculously come back again?” Danny asked._

_“Are you outta your damn minds? Listen, I’m old, alright? And I wanna enjoy my retirement away from the field, away from guns and explosions especially with you two back together like never before…” Lou said, motioning to the way Steve and Danny were holding hands and leaning on each other._

_“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, pretending to be offended._

_“Recipe for a disaster that’s what it is.” Lou muttered to himself mostly._

_“What did you say?” Danny asked, as if he didn’t hear what Lou had said._

_“I said, I really missed you guys and we’ll be having barbecues every now and then and we’d even go fishing whenever you guys are free, not you Danny, obviously. I take it you still hate the ocean?” Danny nodded his head and Lou just smiled and shook his head. “Anyway, as I was saying, yes, I can consult once in a while but I’m too old for all that other shit, alright? I’m retired.”_

_“Oh, we heard you. Did you retire from malasadas too?” Danny joked._

_“Don’t push it Jersey.”_

_“You got it, old man.”_

_Everyone laughed at that and the evening ended on a light note._

***

The renovation process didn’t take as long as they’d expected since everyone was more than willing to chip in and help. The first few months was chaos though and they had stayed at the Hilton for the duration. But soon after everything was all set and done, they moved back in and were proud of what they had accomplished. The kitchen was completely renovated, the walls were broken down and it was more open and bigger. Danny even managed to fix in a pantry that was lacking before. The kitchen island was bigger with four stools which allowed them to have their meals there without having to use the dining table. The open floor plan that they were going for made the living room bigger and more spacious and Gracie’s idea of bringing the outside in by fitting huge sliding glass doors was just the right call as it brought in more light that reflected off the now white walls. The old couch in the living room was replaced by Danny’s new velvet sofa and so was the TV. The walls were also decorated with art and pictures and even the stairs weren’t creaking anymore. Danny and Steve’s room was also worked on and they even had a King size bed fitted in. Gracie took charge of decorating hers and Charlie’s rooms, taking into consideration all her little brother’s suggestions. At the end of it all, the old McGarrett house was long gone, together with all the bad memories and a new home was in order.

After a few days of relaxation and just appreciating their new home, they had received a call from the new governor, Keiko Mahoe, insisting that she needed to talk to them urgently.

***

_“Why are you grumpy?”_

_“I’m not grumpy. I’m annoyed.”_

_“Same thing.”_

_“Well, Steven, if you were enjoying a cold beer and a good movie on a Saturday and the new governor suddenly calls and demands for an audience with you, you’d be pissed too. Only reason you wouldn’t be pissed is if you were expecting that call.” Danny looks up at Steve who just shrugs and continues walking. “Oh wait, some detective I am. You aren’t pissed. You were checking your phone every five minutes and you were all dressed up even after I told you that we were going to be indoors. You_ were _expecting that call!” Steve just smiled at him; he enjoyed listening to Danny’s deduction. He was like a mini-Sherlock Holmes._

_Before Steve could respond, the governor’s secretary ushered them in._

_“The governor will see you now, gentlemen.”_

_“Animal.” Danny said when he got up and felt Steve smack his ass. The secretary just watched them curiously as they walked past her._

_“Gentlemen.”_

_“Governor.” They both said in unison._

_“Have a seat. Commander, I believe you’re familiar with what this meeting is about?”_

_“Yes, ma’am.”_

_“Good, Agent Williams, let me bring you up to speed.” She reached out and handed Danny a file which he skimmed through as she briefed him. “After you and Commander McGarrett left the task force and the Island of Hawaii, there’s been a rise in the crime rate. It appears the criminals got word of your departure and decided unanimously that they had no reason to fear the task force anymore since two of its leaders were gone. Let’s just say the word ‘Five-0’ was… a joke, and my predecessor was forced to dismantle it. HPD didn’t have much impact on the island either but we did our best. When I got word that Commander McGarrett was planning on coming back to the island, I approached him and he negotiated that he’d only take up the force if he was with you and I see your back now.”_

_“Says here that there was an ‘incident’ at the_ _Iolani Palace_ _?”_

_“Uh, yes, that is quite correct, Agent Williams. Some… unruly youth, thought it would be fun to spray paint the famous Five-0 HQ. Needless to say, they have been reprimanded. As the governor, I hate to see that this state is slowly becoming disorderly and I would really appreciate it if you’d consider running the task force again. This island needs you. When I first heard of the task force that was granted full immunity and means, I have to admit I was skeptical, but looking at the numbers now, you did deliver and it was a good call. I would like to offer you the same deal and I’d wish for you to take it.”_

***

_“Some negotiator you were, babe.” Danny said after they were back at home. “What would you have done if I didn’t come back with you? Would you have let Hawaii go down like that?”_

_“Honestly, I didn’t think that far. All I could think about was how I badly wanted to see you and apologize for what I did.”_

_“I’m always in that little head of yours, aren’t I?”_

_“You know it.” Steve said as he shared a kiss with him._

_“So, what’s the plan now that Five-0 is back in business?” Danny asked after they broke off._

_“I’m thinking, we should start making some calls. Starting with San Francisco perhaps?”_

_“Oh, I see what you’re doing and I like it! We’re bringing the gang back together, right?” Danny asked. He couldn’t hide the smile in his voice._

_“You bet!”_

_“I’ll organize a video call with Chin.”_

***

Steve had allowed himself to sleep in for a while after the previous night’s _activity._ But when he could not stay in bed any longer, he got up, relieved himself and rinsed his face before heading downstairs. On his way downstairs he was met by the sweet aroma that was coming from the kitchen. When he finally got to the kitchen, he found Danny making pancakes and humming to himself as he did so. Clearly, the blonde was so lost in his task that he didn’t notice he had company. Steve stealthily came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around Danny’s waist and kissed the nape of his neck. Danny startled a little bit before warming up to the embrace.

“What are you, a ninja?” Danny asked as he poured fresh batter onto the pan before turning around to face Steve. He ran his hand up Steve’s chest and tugged at his shirt to bring him down to his level before locking lips and kissing him deeply. It was wet and dirty and their tongues fought for dominance as their hands caressed each other’s body. They were completely lost in the heat of the moment before Danny broke it off only to turn around and flip the pancake revealing a nice golden brown color.

“How did you do that?” Steve asked, impressed by Danny’s ability to multitask.

“I’m a pancake god. Now go before my luck runs out. Can’t concentrate with you here.” Steve left him to it but only after stealing another kiss.

***

After Kawika had picked up Charlie for surfing lessons and promised to get shave ice at Kamekona’s afterwards, Steve and Danny were left alone to finally make that call to Chin. At exactly 10am, Steve made the Skype call and waited for Chin to pick up. In the meantime, he thought it would be a great idea to humor Danny about his thoughts on the animation that just ended.

“Why? Why would you say that _Steven_? This is Charlie’s favorite animation and still you’d—”

“Oh, c’mon Danny, isn’t it obvious though? The guy put up a performance for her the first time he saw her, _obviously to woo her_. And after all she’d put him through, he still came back for her in the end. That, dear Danny, is love.”

“Oh, so it’s love now? Remind me if you will, at what point in this conversation did it evolve from an innocent crush to love huh?”

“About last year, when we first started having this conversation.”

“Just… let it go, alright?”

“I will. But just for the record, I'm just calling it as it is.”

“For the last time, MAUI DOESN’T LOVE MOANA! Okay? They are just friends!”

“Agree to disagree.”

“Agree to… I will end you. Seriously, I have just about had—"

**Chin**

_“Ladies, you can stop now.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe and have a great rest of your week :)


	18. He ho’omaka hou; A new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is 'The Last One'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This past couple of months have given me a renewed sense of worth with the pandemic and online learning, I had been utterly drained and I needed to unwind and this platform has helped me do that. Words can't say how grateful I am for the support you guys have given me so far  
> I'm excited and nervous for this one, I hope you enjoy.

Chin watched as the two men stared at the camera, dumbstruck, mouths agape and their eyes had doubled in size. Because he couldn’t help it, he quickly took a screenshot of the moment for safe keeping. He’d probably print it on a Christmas card or something. Though the shock in their faces was expected, the joy in their eyes wasn’t missed. Just like the two idiots on his computer screen, he too was euphoric. He did miss his friends. His ohana.

 _“Aloha gentlemen.”_ He said in his ever zen voice that he was certain the two goofs had missed.

“Aloha Chin. Howzit?” Steve beamed.

“Chin! What’s up babe, how you doin’?” Danny was smiling from ear to ear as he took the laptop from the coffee table and set it on his lap forcing Steve to lean closer to him so he could see.

_“I’ve been good brah. I heard you guys are back in Hawaii, I’ve really missed you guys.”_

“We’ve missed you too brah. Why don’t you come join us? Christmas is around the corner and Danny promised to make his famous chocolate chip cookies.”

_“For real?”_

“Yeah, and Steve promised to take us all out for dinner, he even said he was gonna pay for it.”

_“McGarrett never pays.”_

“Right?! Ten years I’ve known the guy, six months I’ve lived with him and never once have I ever seen his wallet. Not once!”

“Now you’re just exaggerating.” Steve complained.

_“No, he’s not and we all know it. And yes, I was actually thinking of coming over this Christmas, Sarah misses the island you know. She’s never stopped talking about it.”_

“Aww, how is that little girl doing anyway?” Danny inquired.

_“She’s doing great although she’s growing up so fast!”_

“They always do. Blink and she’s off to college.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes catching up. Steve shared stories about his mission and Danny shared his experience with the FBI and the friends he’d made in New York. Chin talked about his task force in San Francisco and even said that Kono had joined him and that they’d been working together for the last four years.

_“But it’s not the same. I miss our home every day. Even though I’ve tried to make this place feel like home for me and Sarah, I still have that feeling, like a sense of… not belonging. Do you understand what I’m saying?”_

“Yeah, we get you babe.”

“What he said.” Steve wrapped his arm around Danny and smiled. “We actually wanted to talk to you about something… uhm… Danny? You wanna say it, or should I?”

“What? Why me? You tell him.”

_“Tell me what?”_

“Steve and I…”

“Danny and I…”

 _“Don’t say it all at once.”_ Chin laughed.

“Okay, first and foremost, we thought you should know that Five-0 is back in business. Or rather, we’re bringing it back; we’ve been recruiting. And second, we were thinking of bringing the gang back together, starting with uh… starting with you Chin. Just like old times. What do you say?”

_“I don’t know brah-”_

“Oh, come on Chin, it’ll be fun. I know for a fact you miss the smart table.” Danny added.

_“That I do!”_

“Well then… just think about it.”

 _“Let me get this clear. You want me to leave San Francisco, leave my task force, leave everything behind and come back to Hawaii to restart Five-0 with you guys?”_ He watched as the two men looked at each other as if they were communicating with their eyes and he couldn’t help but smile with such fondness.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Danny said nodding his head.

_“Well-”_

“Before you agree to anything you should know, it will be mostly administrative; I made sure of that. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves, we're not as energetic as we were ten years ago. Case in point, I got a knee and Steve's got a hip.”

“Hey!” Steve complained looking at Danny as if he’d just betrayed him.

“Shut up it's true.” Danny scolded him. “Anyway, I assure you Chin, we got two of our best who will be taking charge out in the field for the most of it. You haven't met them but you'll love them, trust me. They're kinda like _us_ actually.” He turned to face Steve who nodded in agreement. “Try picturing me and Steve but younger and sexier.”

 _“I'd rather not, I got the idea.”_ Chin said laughing.

“But then of course starting off, we gotta be out there in the field you know; show our faces, put the fear of God back in those little criminals and restore some order first.” Steve added in all seriousness.

_“I hear you and I agree with you.”_

“One last ride?” Danny asked hopefully.

_“I did mention that I missed home. And my task force is doing great and I have no doubt they can survive without me. I also went through the stats you emailed me two weeks ago and you’re right, Hawaii needs Five-0 like never before if we’re to bring back order to the Island again.”_

“Couldn’t agree more.” Danny said.

 _“One last ride then.”_ Chin smiled at them.

“Well, that was easy.” Danny laughed.

 _“Ouch.”_ Chin pretended to be offended. _  
_

“No, what I’m saying is, we were ready to beg, well, I was; Steve was probably going to command you and maybe even throw you in a shark tank if he had to. You know how he is, he’s not really the smooth talker.”

_“Don’t I know it.”_

“Hey! That is not even-”

“Anyway Chin, I’m glad you’re on board, we’ll let you go now. We gotta call Kono too.”

_“No need for that brah. You can tell her right now.”_

Before they could say anything, a skinny figure appeared and the camera tilted to show the beautiful Hawaiian native in gray sweats and a black t-shirt, full head of hair, smiling back at them. She hadn’t aged one bit; she still looked like the rookie they’d recruited over ten years ago.

Kono laughed at the two men on the screen who for the second time that day appeared to be shell shocked yet again, it was comical and she too took a screenshot of the little moment.

**Kono**

_“It’s okay, take your time, I got all day.”_ She teased them.

“Kono! You look… wow.”

_“Is that a good ‘wow’ or a bad ‘wow’?”_

“Just… wow.”

“What my neanderthal friend is trying to say and failing miserably is that, Kono, you look absolutely amazing doll.”

 _“Thanks, brah. I can say the same about you two. Speaking of, is there something you wanna share with us?”_ She winked and smiled suggestively at them. Leave it to Kono to deduce everything in under a minute. Danny blushed and almost hid his face on Steve’s chest causing the cousins to laugh even harder at them.

 _“You wanna help out your buddy there, boss man?”_ She was resilient.

“Well, since you’ve asked so nicely, Danny and I, we’re-”

“We’re together, alright? We’re a couple!” Danny almost screamed.

 _“A couple of two idiots in love? Is that it? You banging each other?”_ Kono asked.

“KONO!” Everyone said at the same time.

 _“What? I was just asking.”_ She said in all innocence that only she could pull off.

“We are.” Danny confirmed turning red again. _Adorable._

 _“Thank you, that’s all I wanted to hear. Chin, pay up cuz, c’mon.”_ She said turning to her cousin.

 _“Okaaay.”_ Chin said begrudgingly and handed her a bundle of cash making sure to linger it over the camera for a moment. Clearly, they had practiced that exchange before.

 _“Thanks cuz.”_ Kono beamed as she took the cash and gave him a bow.

“Are they seriously doing that in front of us?” Steve asked.

“The audacity of these idiots.” Dany said shaking his head in disappointment.

_“We’ve been waiting for over a decade now, alright? We get a pass.”_

“Anyway, that’s not why we called.” Steve started on a serious note. “I’m assuming Chin filled you in on our current situation and we’d really love it if you’d consider it and also, if we’re looking at it in a strategic point of view, I think that it would be prudent to-”

 _“Hey, you don’t have to ask me twice boss man. I’ve been meaning to come back home for a while now. These waves just don’t hit right you know?”_ She laughed.

“Ain’t no place like home.” Steve agreed finally returning the smile and breathing out a sigh of relief. The hard part was over.

“Chin did you say something?” Danny asked when he saw Chin murmur something to his cousin.

“I said, I hope Steve won’t be doing any more daredevil stunts; my stamina isn’t as it used to be either, you know.”

“Don’t worry, we got that part covered. We already recruited some candidates from HPD and four of them had made the cut and even passed the _‘Steven McGarrett self-funded downright illegal BUD/S training.’_ ”

 _“Wait a minute. He drilled them?!”_ Chin asked his eyes wide open in surprise. But it appeared there was more because Danny nodded animatedly before continuing.

“Yeah! I mean, everything you could possibly think of, he tested it out on them. From jumping off rooftops to target practice on moving objects to diffusing bombs _blindfolded_ I should add, to seeing how fast one could fill up a bag with live grenades in under 45seconds… I’m telling you; it was torture!”

 _“McGarrett really did all that?”_ Chin could not believe it.

“What do you think?” Danny asked, a smile lingering in the corners of his mouth.

 _“Damn, that’s cold brah.”_ Kono said shaking her head dramatically.

“He’s lying, okay? There were tests, yes, but not to that extent.” Steve tried to defend himself but no one seemed to be buying it. They spent the next ten minutes just teasing him and pushing his buttons with Danny being the group leader and when Danny ruffled Steve’s hair, the tables turned and they both became the target of the Hawaiian natives who proved again just how annoyingly witty they could be when they teamed up. After a while, Danny and Steve had to say their goodbyes and hung up.

 _“Bye guys, see you soon.”_ Chin said waving at the camera before Kono disconnected the video call.

Danny put the laptop back in the coffee table and turned to face Steve but was caught off guard when Steve attacked his lips and pulled him closer to him. The kiss started off clumsily but after a while it turned into a war of tongues as Steve’s fingers dug into Danny’s neck and Danny's hand shot up to cover Steve's hand with his own. Slowly, Steve became more and more aggressive as he pushed Danny further down into the couch and laid on top of him, moaning and grinding their hips together.

“Steve wait.” Danny finally broke off the kiss, breathless. “We can’t do this now.”

“You wanna take it upstairs?”

“No, you horny teenager! We’ve got to meet Dr Tillwell in half an hour, you know how she hates it when we show up late for our sessions.”

“We can do it quick?” Steve said giving him an evil grin as he slid his hand down and palmed Danny’s rock-hard member over his jeans. “Oh yeah, this is going to be a quicky!”

“Shut up you son of a bitch and take me upstairs already, c’mon!”

***

It was early in the morning; the sun had just broken the plane of the horizon and they sat at the steps outside the house waiting impatiently and listening keenly to the sound of any vehicle approaching. They had been ‘instructed’ not to wait at the airport because apparently the two of them might make a scene, so all they had to go by was the time of arrival, nothing more, nothing less. And the wait was, as Danny would say…

“This is a disaster. I say, we get in the car and drive to the airport right now. What do you think?” He asked Steve, his hands found his way to Steve’s knee and he was caressing it in the most intimate way.

“I think after ten years of knowing Kono, she will pin us to the ground the moment she sees us there because she had clearly given us a direct order. So, I say, we stay put.”

“Are you nervous?” Danny asked looking up at him.

“A little bit. You?”

“Not even.”

“Liar!” Steve accused him and shoved him playfully.

“I’m telling you, I’m completely calm.” Danny insisted, laughing.

“Then please tell me what the hell we’ve been doing sitting out here for the last hour huh? Remind me again who woke us up at 3am to recheck the time of arrival huh? That was you Danny. Only you.”

“Okay, okay, you’ve made your point you can shut up now.”

“I don’t think I will. In fact, I’ll keep going. The feast you’ve prepared? The mountain of gifts lying under the Christmas tree? The ridiculous Christmas lights all over the place, even the roof? Over compensating for something, are we?” Steve teased him.

“Shut up.” Danny said looking at the road.

“And don’t even get me started with the cookies I know for a fact you’ve hidden somewhere in the house.” Steve continued.

“Seriously, shut up!”

“I will no-” Danny quickly covered Steve’s mouth and gave him a stern look.

“Shut up and listen. Do you hear that?” Now that Steve was quiet, he could actually hear it. It was faint at first but after a while he could confidently affirm that that was a sound of a car approaching. Danny turned to smile at Steve and he felt Steve smile back at him under his palm that was still covering his mouth. He also felt Steve’s tongue lick his palm and he quickly pulled away and shoved him, wiping the saliva on Steve’s shirt. “You’re a five-year-old, you know that?”

“They’re here!” Steve beamed getting up and pulling Danny up with him.

They watched as the yellow cab slowly got into focus. They could see Kono poking her head out from the front seat and smiling broadly at them before screaming in excitement as she opened her door before the car even parked. Chin was second to get out the back seat with a wide smile of his own. Danny felt Steve push him as he ran up to be the first to hug the cousins, but Danny had some speed in him too, and if it failed, he could play dirty too, which he did. He ran up to Steve and pulled him back aggressively by his shirt making Steve lose his balance as he sprinted ahead.

He got to Kono first and picked her up and span her a round a couple of times before setting her down and was about to do the same to Chin but Steve got to him first.

“Must everything be a competition with you guys?” Kono asked after everyone had hugged each other.

“Welcome home you guys.”

“Mahalo.” The cousins said.

“By the way, we bumped into someone on our way here.” Kono smiled sheepishly at them as they turned their gaze to the sound of the car door closing. They could only see the back of a brunette head but when the figure turned to face them…

“Monkey?”

“Surprise!” Gracie said running up to them and hugging them both at once. She turned around to motion at someone else. “Come on Sarah, don’t be shy, we’re ohana.”

They all turned to see who she was talking to when a petite girl slowly walked from behind the car. She had on a simple white dress with pigtails and red converse on. She walked shyly with her head down and stopped only to hug Chin’s waist tightly.

“It’s okay Sarah, you remember Uncle Steve and Uncle Danny, right?” Chin asked her in the gentlest voice.

“Yeah.” She whispered.

“Why don’t you go say hi. I promise they don’t bite.” He teased her and she managed to laugh a little before finally gathering up the courage to run up to them. The duo was smiling from ear to ear as Sarah finally relaxed and started talking about everything and occasionally, they had to remind her to breathe. _Sarah, breathe_.

“Where’s Charlie?” She finally asked.

“Yeah, where is my lil’ bro?”

“He stayed up late last night so he’s still sleeping. Tell you what, why don’t we all go in, sneak into his room and just scream ‘GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!’.” Steve suggested, laughing at the thought of it.

“Only _you_ would find that funny you schmuck.” Danny said but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

***

**Christmas Dinner**

Everyone showed up for the Christmas dinner at the McGarrett/Williams house. They had gathered out in the lanai sharing a meal that Danny had prepared for them. Introductions were made and just as Steve and Danny had hoped, Chin and Kono had fitted right in like they had been there all along. Tani and Kono clicked straight away being the badass girls in the group. And later that night, Steve and Danny had given everyone a show when they ‘accidentally’ found themselves under the mistletoe. They were big on PDA especially in front of their ohana because they didn’t feel judged, instead, they felt safe.

“At some point you gotta let Danny breathe Steve.” Kono teased as he watched the duo make out like a bunch of horny teenagers. Steve still had Danny wrapped in his arms, devouring his mouth, kissing him senseless. He held up a finger indicating a vague ‘just one more minute’ before pulling at Danny’s waist and bringing him even closer. Eventually after the cheers had subsided and everyone was now complaining, especially the single members of the group, they finally broke the kiss only to gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes. _Cupid really did a number on them; they were lovestruck_.

“How often do I tell you I love you?” Danny whispered.

“Everyday. It’s implied.” Steve said as he lightly brushed their lips together again.

“This calls for a toast. Chin, you got any words of wisdom?” Danny said turning to Chin who laughed nervously but eventually got up with his wine glass in hand.

“Not sure if these are words of wisdom but uh, I think I speak for everyone when I say, this is the happiest we’ve all been in a long while and I think a major part of it is because Steve and Danny have brought us back together again. Mahalo.” He raised his glass up to them before continuing. “And what I’ve learnt is, no matter how far away we go, this island always draws us back home. To new friends and old friends. I nā hoʻomaka hou.” Chin said raising his glass up and everyone cheered as they clicked their glasses together.

“I don’t know what that means but it sounds good so I’ll drink to that.” Danny said.

“It means to new beginnings brah.”

“Like I said, definitely sounds good.”

***

**Epilogue**

**3 months later**

After three deep breaths, he finally knocked on her door before opening it slightly and poking his head in. She was in her bed on her phone and when she saw him she smiled.

“You got a minute?” He asked.

“Yeah, sure, come in.”

He slowly walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

“There's something I wanted to run by you…” Before he could even finish speaking, Gracie squealed in excitement. “I haven't even said anything yet.” Then he realized her eyes were glued to the very distinct bump on his pocket. He had completely forgotten about it. Ever since he had picked it up that morning, he hadn’t removed it from his pocket.

“You look nervous and there's a bulge on your pocket. You see, I'm a bit of a detective myself.” She said proudly.

“Funny; last I checked you were studying to be a doctor.” Steve teased her.

“Well then I’m observant.” She rolled her eyes before clapping her hand together in excitement. “Show me, show me, show me!”

“Okaay… it's nothing fancy though.” He said nervously.

He pulled out a small black velvet box and inside it, was the most gorgeous yet simple silver ring. He watched as Gracie's eyes sparkled as she took the ring, studying it with keen eyes. _‘To my Danno, love Steve.’_ Gracie read the engraved words on the back of the ring.

“Wow. This is beautiful.” She whispered. “Danno's gonna love it.”

“You think? Does that mean I have your blessing?” Steve asked, unsure of the response he was going to get even though it was pretty obvious he had her blessing… always.

Gracie looked up at him with tears threatening to break free and hugged him tightly. “Yes. It’s about damn time.”

After a while she broke it off and looked down at the ring on her hand again. She traced her fingers on the cold metal and smiled as she carefully put it back on the box. She murmured something to herself that caught Steve’s attention.

“What was that?”

“I said…dad.” She said shyly looking down at the box avoiding Steve’s eyes. “It’s just… I've always loved that word. _Dad_. Hardly used it on Danno but that's because, well, he's my Danno.” She laughed and even though she laughed, there was still tension in her voice.

“But with step-Stan, it just didn't seem right to use it you know? But right now, with you, I feel like… it fits. I’ve always seen you more as a father figure than an uncle. Even Charlie feels the same way you know.” She glanced at Steve for a second before turning her gaze back to her hands. “I like the sound of it. Dad. Has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree? Better than Uncle Steve really.” She paused and finally gathered the courage to meet Steve’s eyes. She noticed Steve was just looking at her, dumbfounded, lips slightly parted.

“Or not!” She said quickly, trying to rectify her mistake. “Forget it, I was just messing around.” 

“No, I… Gracie, I like the sound of it too.” Steve pulled her into a tight hug and didn’t want to let go even after the acceptable hug time had passed. He tried his level best to keep himself together because he knew if he started crying, Gracie would join in and then they’d all be crying and then Danny would walk in and imagine proposing to someone while crying and sniffing like some idiot. So, he simply kissed her head and whispered, “I love you Gracie. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I love you too… _Dad_.” She whispered that last part and that was just enough to open the showers of tears for the both of them. It was a good thing the bedroom door was closed.

***

Steve found Danny alone, sitting in his chair on the beach and slowly approached him. Each step was thoroughly calculated. He had washed his face and cleared any evidence that would dare betray him that he’d been crying just some minutes ago. He wanted everything to be absolutely, without a doubt, perfect. He had already practiced his speech and was reciting it over and over in his head as he finally got to his chair.

“Yo.”

“Yo.” Danny said turning his head to face him.

_Perfect. Just as I had imagined it, Steve thought._

But what he didn’t anticipate was that his partner was one hell of a detective and he watched as the blonde’s blue eyes landed on the weird bump in his pocket. Danny quirked his eyebrow curiously and got up. Still maintaining eye contact with Steve, and in a split of a second, he completely changed his entire demeanor and said in the most on point Gollum impression, "What has it got in its nasty little pocketses?" He poked Steve's stomach and tickled him all while repeating the same question.

“C’mere, why are you so jumpy?” He asked when Steve kept trying to move away from his touch. He was about to poke him again when Steve grabbed a hold of his hands firmly and tried to keep him still.

“Could you just stop for a minute and listen.” He practically pleaded with his partner.

“What's wrong?” Danny asked, his voice suddenly changed to that of concern.

“Nothing is wrong.” Steve assured him. “In fact, everything is just as it should be… perfect.” He gently planted a kiss on Danny's forehead before going down on one knee.

“Daniel James Williams… Danno, will you marry me?”

Danny looked at his partner completely tongue-tied. He couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Will I... Will I marry you?” He stammered.

“Yeah man, I believe that was the question.” Steve said trying his best to look hopeful but prepared for whatever outcome.

Even with the question confirmed, Danny still couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have that man down on one knee asking for his hand in marriage. It was surreal. At that very moment, his mind drifted back to the night he almost kissed Steve.

***

_It was Kono's wedding reception and Danny was pretty convinced that Steve was going to kiss him that night. Right there in the middle of the dance floor with their ohana watching. But boy was he wrong because instead of kissing him, which Danny would have gladly accepted, Steve had instead leaned down and whispered something in the lines of, "Hey Danny, you just stepped on my foot." And Danny had responded with his usual, "You're an idiot." Only that time was different because he actually, one hundred percent, meant it._

_He remembered the next time he had danced with Steve and was pretty sure he was going to finally kiss him. It was Max's farewell party and Max was in the middle of winding up his speech when Steve leaned in and whispered in his ear,_ "Don't worry, I'm not gonna dance with you tonight." _But Danny wanted to dance with Steve that night. More than anything, he needed to dance with him that night and he wasn't going to be denied the opportunity. So, when Steve had given him an out, he turned to face him, gave him the sweetest smile he could come up with and with a stern but loving voice he said,_ "No Steve, you are in fact, going to dance with me tonight. You wanna know why? Because you're a terrible dancer compared to me and that only makes me look like the better dancer. So, are you going to deny me that, _Steven_? Are you really that evil?"

_And with that Steve had smiled, nodded in agreement before he reached over and rested his arm naturally around Danny's shoulder and lazily played with his ear. Danny's heart skipped a beat from Steve's touch and all he wanted to do at that moment was lift his head up, which he did. Lean in, which he did. And…_

***

“Don't leave me hanging here.” Steve said in a shaky voice.

“Steve, we've been married for ten years. You wanna put a ring on it? I'm fine with that. So, what are you waiting for huh? Put a ring on it already you animal...and get up and kiss me.”

Steve carefully slid the ring down Danny’s finger and gave it a kiss before he got up and pulled Danny into a long passionate kiss. Their tongues just like their egos, fought for dominance. Danny got up on his tippy toes so that Steve wouldn't have to bend down so low to him. He wrapped his hands around Steve's neck and pulled him closer. Steve had his hands around Danny's waist and tightened his grip pulling him even closer, almost carrying Danny but not quite. Danny slowly rubbed the back of Steve’s head, kissing and turning and occasionally breaking for some air and getting back to it.

Danny finally broke it off but held Steve's face in his hands, foreheads touching and breathing hard.

“I know.” He whispered, looking deep into Steve's eyes. “I know now. Or maybe I've always known. Steve?” Danny lightly kissed him again before pulling back and said, “ _You_ are my happy place. And I'm madly and deeply in love with you.”

And there it was again, the sexy McGarrett smile, reserved for no one but his Danno.

“I love you Danny. Always.”

Their lips met again and like before, the world around them was just a mere white noise that they didn't give a care about. At that moment it was just the two of them.

“I will make you the happiest man on earth. You have my word Danno.”

“And I promise to do the same. You have my word...” Danny said before smiling mischievously and added. “And my sword, and my bow, and my axe!”

“Okay, that is it Danno. No more Lord of the Rings for you!” Steve tried to be stern but he couldn’t help but laugh at how goofy they both were. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” Danny said showing him his teethy grin.

Steve pulled him closer as if he was about to kiss him again but instead, he whispered in his ears, “You know, it's not a competition Danny.”

“I know, I know. But it could be.”

“If it is, then I win coz I've loved you longer.”

“Do not dwell on the past my dear Steven. We're in the present now.”

“You think you're funny? You think you're funny?”

Before Danny could react, Steve’s phone vibrated and he dug his hand into his pocket and fished it out.

“McGarrett.” He answered, wrapping his free arm around Danny's shoulder and pulling him closer to him ensuring Danny’s head was buried in his chest for reasons unknown.

“Animal.” Danny said although his voice was muffled against Steve’s chest. _Ah_. He turned in his hold and hugged Steve's waist, giving his biceps little pecks.

“We're on our way.” Steve said hanging up and returning his phone back in his pocket.

“Duty calls?”

“That was Chin, we’ve got a case.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the line... phew! What a journey huh? A big thank you to all of you who have reached this far, really means a lot to me. Just give yourselves a hug and imagine it's me doing it because I can't thank you enough. Seriously! The warm welcome you've given me has made this Asgardian so incredibly happy and I'm glad to be a part of this amazing community of writers, story tellers, all round awesome nerds! And to those who bumped into this completed work and binged through it... you lucky bastards! I love you guys! :)  
> Til we meet again, may the odds be ever in your favor.  
> Mahalo :D


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